Topic that was given:What information can you find about the Parkinson’s disease process of diagnosis (Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali both had Parkinson’s disease)?
-The assignment should be discuss in paragraph form using complete sentences and avoiding bullet points and numbered list.
-Discuss each parts separately.
-Do not link or compare part 1 and part 2 together
-Discuss agree to disagree
PART 1
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a condition that affects the neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain. These neurons produce the chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine, when damaged, the levels of these chemicals decrease which cause the control over muscle coordination and movement, to degrees negatively (What is Parkinson’s? Parkinson’s Foundation. (n.d)) (Zelman, M., Raymond, J., Dafnis, E., Holdaway, P., & Mulvihill, M. L. (2015)). The symptoms generally appear slowly over time, they can be different for different people. Therefore, diagnosing may be hard to detect, especially in the early stages. Usually, a Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis is first made by an internist or family physician. But in order to make the diagnosis two of the four main symptoms must be present for some time in order to consider a PD diagnosis (What is Parkinson’s? Parkinson’s Foundation. (n.d)). The four main symptoms are Shaking or tremors, slowness of movement called bradykinesia, stiffness or rigidity of the arms, legs or trunk, and trouble with balance and possible falls or postural instability (What is Parkinson’s? Parkinson’s Foundation. (n.d)). Once the initial diagnosis is given a patient would get referred to a neurologist specialized in PD or movement disorder specialist. These types of providers would be able to provide precise care, the access to clinical trials, experimental therapies, information on local resources and services, support groups, wellness classes and even education programs (What is Parkinson’s? Parkinson’s Foundation. (n.d)).
References:
What is Parkinson’s? Parkinson’s Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2021, from https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/what-is-parkinsons.
Zelman, M., Raymond, J., Dafnis, E., Holdaway, P., & Mulvihill, M. L. (2015). Human diseases: A systemic approach. Pearson.
PART 2
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, and you can see it mainly in older people who are in-between 55 and 65 years old (Rizek, P., et al., 2016). It is unclear why this disease comes about, but this disease affects several different motors and nonmotor neural circuits (Rizek, P., et al., 2016). There are two categories of this disease that depend on the level at which this disease develops, although it is not quite clear which one develops first and why one develops first over the other (Rizek, P., et al., 2016). One category involves the start of the disease where the dopamine neurons are affected and their function is decreased (Rizek, P., et al., 2016). The second category involves the accumulation of Lewy bodies in different areas of the body affecting function and body systems (Rizek, P., et al., 2016).
This disease is diagnosed by doing several different studies over a period of time. There must be evidence of this disease such as a history with certain signs and symptoms and examinations of “dopamine agents and the development of motor fluctuations” (Rizek, P., et al., 2016). At first, someone might not appear with obvious signs and symptoms of this disease which is why history and frequent examination are needed. Signs and symptoms for this disease may include tremors, softer voice pitch, stiffness, slow movements, balance difficulties, handwriting changes, changes in blink rate of eyes, exedra (Rizek, P., et al., 2016). The treatment for this disease depends on the severity and the stage a person is at which makes each treatment different.
Reference
Rizek, P., Kumar, N., & Jog, M. (2016). An update on the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson disease. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5088077/
