Parkinson's Disease

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Parkinson's Disease: What Age of Onset and Symptoms

"I am a 77-year-old lady. My Parkinson�s disease appeared at the age of 55. My symptoms at the beginning were fine tremors and rigidity with joint stiffness. I am taking Entacapone with Levodopa, Carbidopa, and Pramipexole. My Parkinson�s disease is partly under control. "

"My husband, age 80, has just been diagnosed with Parkinsonism. It took a while and several doctors (2 were neurologists) to make the diagnosis. He has all the symptoms except the tremors. Looking back I can now understand what was happening to him over the last 2 years. He was falling (backwards) developed humped posture, slow movements. The last fall that fractured his hip was what brought out the PD question when he had to go to therapy and they indicated that his body was very rigid. He has been in skilled care facility since February and is now on Sinemet. He has been on it for 2 days and we are hopeful. "

"I began to have a lack of energy and strength at about 53 years of age. Next came legs that would not do what I wanted them to, such as climb stairs. My balance was also a problem. I was first diagnosed with Parkinson�s disease when I was 62. My main symptoms were muscle weakness and a tendency to fall. They continue to be my greatest problems along with lack of judgment, forgetfulness, and anxiety. "

"I will be 61 years old next month and was diagnosed with Parkinson�s disease 13 months ago. My main symptom was and still is rigidity or stiffness of my right-hand side. I also have some difficulty writing. The original diagnosis was confirmed three months later by a second neurologist. I am on one tablet of pramipexole (Surfol), 0.25 mg three times a day. Four months ago my neurologist added Biperiden, 2 mg. Now, I take half a tablet of Biperiden three times a day. Since the original diagnosis, my stiffness has slowly increased."

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Introduction

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. It was first described in 1817 by James Parkinson, a British physician who published a paper on what he called "the shaking palsy." In this paper, he set forth the major symptoms of the disease that would later bear his name.

Researchers believe that at least 500,000 people in the United States currently have Parkinson's disease, although some estimates are much higher. Society pays an enormous price for Parkinson's disease. The total cost to the nation is estimated to exceed $6 billion annually. The risk of Parkinson's disease increases with age, so analysts expect the financial and public health impact of this disease to increase as the population gets older.

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. The four main symptoms are:

tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head;
rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk;
bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and
postural instability, or impaired balance.

These symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen with time. As they become more pronounced, patients may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks. Not everyone with one or more of these symptoms has Parkinson's disease, as the symptoms sometimes appear in other diseases as well.

Parkinson's disease is both chronic, meaning it persists over a long period of time, and progressive, meaning its symptoms grow worse over time. It is not contagious. Although some Parkinson's disease cases appear to be hereditary, and a few can be traced to specific genetic mutations, most cases are sporadic � that is, the disease does not seem to run in families. Many researchers now believe that Parkinson's disease results from a combination of genetic susceptibility and exposure to one or more environmental factors that trigger the disease.

Parkinson's disease is the most common form of parkinsonism, the name for a group of disorders with similar features and symptoms. Parkinson's disease is also called primary parkinsonism or idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The term idiopathic means a disorder for which no cause has yet been found. While most forms of parkinsonism are idiopathic, there are some cases where the cause is known or suspected or where the symptoms result from another disorder. For example, parkinsonism may result from changes in the brain's blood vessels.