What is Parkinson's disease ?

Who Gets Parkinson's Disease? Parkinson's Disease affects mostly older adults, with about 90% of the known cases diagnosed in people over the age of 60. Within that population, there is some variance, with risk increasing from age 60 through age 75, then dropping off sharply. Currently, Parkinson's Disease is known to affect about 3% of the population over the age of 65. Using current statistics and aging of the population, experts predict that will double in the next 40 years. Some 15% of those between the ages of 60 and 74 have been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Between the ages of 75 and 84, that percentage rises to about 30%. However, when you look at it in terms of onset of symptoms, the picture changes. Less than 10% of new cases of Parkinson's disease are diagnosed in younger adults - under age 40. The bulk of new diagnoses of Parkinson's disease are made between the ages of 60 and 75. After age 85, the risk of developing Parkinson's Disease seems to drop off dramatically. Gender Men seem to be at higher risk of developing Parkinson's Disease than women. Men face about twice the risk of developing Parkinson's Disease as women in every age group. Scientists think that estrogen may play a role in protecting the body from the chemical changes that happen in Parkinson's Disease. Women who've had hysterectomies have a slightly higher rate of Parkinson's Disease, and women who've had estrogen replacement therapy have a lower rate of Parkinson's Disease than other women their age. Men are more prone to rigidity and tremor, and women more at risk for gait disturbance and shuffling. Ethnicity Caucasians have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's Disease than either African Americans or Asian Americans. Those of European descent seem most prone to typical Parkinson's Disease, but some studies suggest that non-Caucasians may be more at risk for a particular type of non-typical parkinsonism that causes a disturbance in thinking. Heredity In a small percentage of cases, family history may play a role in the onset of Parkinson's Disease. People who have parents or brothers and sisters who had young-onset Parkinson's Disease, in which symptoms develop before the age of 40, are more likely to develop Parkinson's Disease than others their age. When Parkinson's Disease was diagnosed at older ages, family history seems to play no part. Coffee Drinkers Caffeine also seems to have a protective effect against Parkinson's Disease. A study of Japanese-American men showed that those who regularly drank coffee ran a lower risk of developing Parkinson's Disease than other men their age. The more coffee they consumed, the lower the risk. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that results from the destruction of dopamine-producing cells in the midbrain area. Dopamine is a chemical that helps the brain communicate with the muscles of the body. In patients with Parkinson's, chemical changes in an area of the brain known as the 'substantia nigra" affect the ability of those cells to produce dopamine, affecting the ability of the brain to communicate with the muscles. The symptoms of Parkinson's generally appear when 80% of those cells are dead. The disease is progressive and degenerative, which means that the symptoms will get worse as the disease takes more and more of those important cells. In addition to those changes, scientists have also noted that there are changes in other parts of the brain's communication system. Those changes include changes to the areas of the brain that control the emotions, sensory processes and maternal instincts. So far, scientists aren't certain if those changes are caused directly by Parkinson's, or if they're an effect of the loss of dopamine and the changes in the way that the brain communicates with the body. Parkinson's was first officially described by the British physician, Dr. James Parkinson, for whom it is named. In his "Essay on the Shaking Palsy", he described a condition whose symptoms were Involuntary tremolous motion, with lessened muscular power........... The essay went on to detail the types of tremors and associated symptoms that he'd seen in his practice. In the 1850s, Jean-Martin Charcot added 'rigidity' to Parkinson's list of symptoms and first named it as 'Parkinson's Disease'. Parkinson's original description is remarkably accurate, and remains the basis for the modern diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. In general, it is agreed that Parkinson's is one of the most common neurological diseases affecting adults over the age of 65. Diagnoses of Parkinson's Disease in adults between the ages of 40 and 65 has increased in the past few decades, though as yet there is no attributable cause. Because of its relatively slow progress, a person diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease may live another 40-50 years, with increasing disability. How many will get Parkinson's Disease ? - One person in every 200 will be diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in their lifetime. - One out of every 100 people over 60 in the United States will be diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. - There are over 50,000 new diagnosed cases of Parkinson's in the United States every year. - There are 2.500-5,000 cases of Parkinson's diagnosed in adults under the age of 40 every year in the United States. - Parkinson's Disease was responsible for 15,600 deaths in the year 2,000. That's a rate of 5.5 per 100,000 persons in the general population. - In adults over the age of 65, the death rate from Parkinson's Disease rises to 43.6 per 100,000. - Parkinson's Disease was responsible for the deaths of 300 adults under the age of 65 in the year 2000. - In 1999, approximately 9 percent of men and 4.3 percent of women admitted to nursing homes were diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. - An average of 239,000 adults with Parkinson's Disease are admitted to hospitals each year. - Approximately 1% of the U.S. population over the age of 65 is diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. - A survey presented in the British Medical Journal in the year 2000 suggested that the true prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in the UK is approximately 200 per 100,000 - about 2%. - The prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in the United States and Canada is estimated to be about 300 per 100,000 people, or about 3%. - The Center for Disease Control estimates that as many as 40% of all cases may be undiagnosed. - Parkinson's is the second most common degenerative disease that affects the nervous system throughout the world. The most common is also age-related Alzheimer's Disease. More people are affected with Parkinson's Disease than with Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis and Lou Gehrig's Disease combined. - Because of the increased life expectancy, most government medical bodies believe that the prevalence of Parkinson's Disease will rise astronomically in the coming decades. Manhealth is a site that offers advice for malehealth. Get professional knowledge on dealing with symptoms, drug side effects and improving your life! Visit http://www.1st-for-manhealth.com today!