What Is Parkinson’s Disease

PD

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

To answer this question, I decided to quote a few sources below that I believe give beneficial descriptions and basic information about this disease.  Additionally, there are several videos as you scroll further down.

Quote Below From MedlinePlus.gov


Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a type of movement disorder. It happens when nerve cells in the brain don’t produce enough of a brain chemical called dopamine. Sometimes it is genetic, but most cases do not seem to run in families. Exposure to chemicals in the environment might play a role.

Symptoms begin gradually, often on one side of the body. Later they affect both sides. They include

  • Trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and face
  • Stiffness of the arms, legs and trunk
  • Slowness of movement
  • Poor balance and coordination

As symptoms get worse, people with the disease may have trouble walking, talking, or doing simple tasks. They may also have problems such as depression, sleep problems, or trouble chewing, swallowing, or speaking.

(Link to page quoted here)


Quote Below From nia.nih.gov


Parkinson’s disease occurs when nerve cells, or neurons, in an area of the brain that controls movement become impaired and/or die. Normally, these neurons produce an important brain chemical known as dopamine. When the neurons die or become impaired, they produce less dopamine, which causes the movement problems of Parkinson’s. Scientists still do not know what causes cells that produce dopamine to die.

(Link to page quoted here)


Stages of Parkinson’s

Quote Below From Parkinson.org


Parkinson’s disease (PD) impacts people in different ways. Not everyone will experience all the symptoms of Parkinson’s, and if they do, they won’t necessarily experience them in quite the same order or at the same intensity. There are typical patterns of progression in Parkinson’s disease that are defined in stages.

(Link to Parkinson stages and the page quoted above here)


The Right Information

The right information can make a big difference for me to better understand a disease.  In addition to the information above, there are some videos I wanted to share about Parkinson’s.  Scroll down for the videos.

(To read about my personal experience with Parkinson’s, click here)

An Explanation of Parkinson’s Disease

The video below is from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

Ask the MD: Caregiving and Parkinson’s

The video below is from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

Faces of Parkinson’s

The video below is from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Living with and coping with disease