Parkinson’s Disease

Season 17
Episode 1709

Parkinson’s Disease is the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world. It affects nearly one million people in the United States and more than six million people worldwide. The symptoms generally develop slowly over years, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. While tremors are common in Parkinson’s, the disease progression is unique to each person. This episode looks at the causes and treatments of Parkinson’s Disease, and the search for a cure.

The following information courtesy of: Parkinson’s.org

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing (“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra.

Symptoms generally develop slowly over years. The progression of symptoms is often a bit different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease. People with PD may experience:

  • Tremor, mainly at rest and described as pill rolling tremor in hands. Other forms of tremor are possible
  • Bradykinesia
  • Limb rigidity
  • Gait and balance problems

The cause remains largely unknown. Although there is no cure, treatment options vary and include medications and surgery. While Parkinson’s itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rated complications from PD as the 14th cause of death in the United States.

Resources

Parkinson's Foundation
The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson’s community.
Johns Hopkins Medicine
The mission of Johns Hopkins Medicine is to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care.
National Institute on Aging
NIA, one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. NIA is the primary Federal agency supporting and conducting Alzheimer's disease research.
Transcript PDF

Panelists