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5 Things You Must Know About Parkinsons Disease

1) How does it start and which are the symptoms?

The three most important symptoms are:

-Tremor of the hands, feet or mandible, especially at rest. Goes away with sleep, worsens in stress situations, and improves or disappears to do voluntary movements.

-Slowing and difficulty in performing automatic movements. This is what causes the difficulty or lock to start walking and turning over in bed, inching and shuffling, the change in writing, buttoning clothes difficulty, monotony in the tone of voice, etc.. It is the most incapacitating symptom for the daily activity.

-Rigidity of the affected limb, which is observed to move, for example, the patient's arm with disease. The moves are shorter and abrupt noticed (called cogwheel rigidity).

The reflexes may also be altered to maintain posture, affecting the stability and balance.

2) How does Parkinson's disease diagnosed?

The diagnosis is exclusively clinical, based on the patient's symptoms, so at the beginning, it may be difficult to detect if symptoms may not be very evident. Sometimes, the doctor observes the patient on several occasions during a period of time before positively diagnose it and prescribe treatment.

There is currently no specific testing or analyzing of the disease. Genetic tests are made only on the familiar forms.

Other tests such as computerized tomography scan (CT), positron emission tomography (PET) or computed tomography photon emission and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

But what is important thing is the clinical assessment of the patient's mental condition, his conduct and mood, the limitation in respect of activities of everyday life, motor function and complications of the treatment, which is performed through prepared questions. In this way the physician can know better the impairment of the patient and evaluating the improvements that provide the different treatments, select the most suitable for each.

3)How is it treated Parkinson's Disease?

-Drug treatment:

The objective of treatment is to keep the patient's autonomy and independence much time as possible,and to manage complications associated with the use of drugs.

Levodopa is the drug more effective because replaces the lost dopamine in the brain. Of this formcan be controlled the main symptoms, but do not stop the disease. The response to this drug is quick and persistent. Its primary disadvantage is the abnormal movements during the times of day that the medicine wears off, and that usually displayed on all patients who wear to use it for several years.

-Surgical treatment: A surgical treatment might be necessary when have been exhausted drug treatment alternatives.

4) Is this a fatal disease?

No. What is true is that the symptoms and the appearance of the complications referred to above makes the patient must have more care and precaution in their everyday lives for the purpose of avoid falls choking, significant changes in perspiration, episodes of dehydrationdisorders urination, etc.

5)Can it be prevented?

For the moment, there is no dietary vitamin supplement, physical exercise or the lifestyle element that may prevent the growth of this disease or slow its evolution if already suffered.

The average age of onset lies around 55, but there are ways in which the symptoms appear at younger ages so that every man should take all safety measures against the disease by making constant checks at specialized clinics.