Parkinson's Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a movement disorder. It happens when nerve cells in the brain don't make enough of a brain chemical called dopamine.

Causes

PD is sometimes genetic, but most cases don't seem to run in families. Exposure to chemicals in the environment may play a part.

Symptoms

Symptoms start gradually, often on one side of the body, and later affect both sides. They include:

• trembling of the hands, arms, legs, jaw and face;
• stiffness of the arms, legs and trunk;
• slow movement;
• poor balance and coordination.

As the disease worsens, people may have trouble walking, talking or doing simple tasks. They may also develop depression, sleep problems, or difficulty chewing, swallowing or speaking.

Who gets it

PD usually begins around age 60, though it can start earlier. It is more common in men than in women.

Diagnosis

No specific test exists, so PD can be hard to diagnose. Doctors rely on a medical history and a neurological examination.

Treatment

There is no cure, but treatment can help:

• Medicines sometimes improve symptoms dramatically.
• Surgery can help in severe cases.
• Deep brain stimulation (DBS), also for severe cases, uses electrodes surgically implanted in the brain. They send electrical pulses to stimulate the parts of the brain that control movement.

Sources

• MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine: "Parkinson's Disease," with information from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health.