Tuesday, 6 October 2015

Parkinson's diagnosis and Treatment


The Parkinson’s disease does not have a specific test to diagnose it; the only way to tell for sure is to be tested by a specialized doctor that has practiced in that area. These doctors are known as neurologists and study the condition of people’s nervous system. The neurologist will take scans of the brain to measure the amount of dopamine in the brain. This will give the doctor an immediate insight to whether further scans are necessary.  The doctor will also bring any apparent symptoms, such as tremors or rigidity in to account to include in the diagnostics.

Parkinson’s disease can only be treated to a certain extent. As it is essentially slowing your body down to a stop there are no specific cures. There are however ways of reducing the symptoms and prolonging the progression of stages.  The medication that is offered to patients will often be a direct dosing to substitute the lack of dopamine in the brain. The medication will only half work as it can’t be given directly to the brain itself.  The following treatment for those that have progressed into the later stages of the disease, or do not react well with medications. For this treatment surgical procedures can be undertaken. This is where surgeons implant electrodes into a specific part of the brain. There is a generator implanted near the collar bone that transmits messages of electrical impulse to the brain.

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