Parkinson's Disease
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Parkinson's Disease
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Parkinson's DiseaseWhat is Parkinson's disease? Parkinson's disease is a disorder that causes a progressive loss of nerve cell function in the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. Progressive means that you will lose more of your nerve function as time goes on. What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease? People with Parkinson's disease experience tremors (shakiness) as a result of the damage to their nerve cells. The tremor of Parkinson's disease gets worse when the person is at rest and better when the person moves. The tremor may affect one side of the body more than the other, and can affect the lower jaw, arms and legs. Handwriting may also look "shaky" and smaller than usual. Other symptoms of Parkinson's disease include nightmares, depression, excess saliva, difficulty turning over in bed and buttoning clothes or cutting food, and problems with walking. How is Parkinson's disease diagnosed? No blood tests or x-rays can show whether a person has Parkinson's disease. However, some kinds of x-rays can help your doctor make sure nothing else is causing your symptoms. The symptoms mentioned above suggest to a doctor that a person might have Parkinson's disease. If the symptoms go away or get better when the person takes a medicine called levodopa, it's fairly certain that the person has Parkinson's disease. What causes Parkinson's disease? Doctors don't know exactly what causes Parkinson's disease. They do know some medicines can cause or worsen symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Can medicines treat Parkinson's disease? There is no cure for Parkinson's disease. There are medicines that can help control the symptoms of the disease. Some of the medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease include carbidopa-levodopa (brand name: Sinemet), bromocriptine (brand name: Parlodel), selegiline (one brand name: Eldepryl), pramipexole (brand name: Mirapex), ropinirole (brand name: Requip), tolcapone (brand name: Tasmar) and pergolide (brand name: Permax). Your doctor will discuss with you which medicines might help you. The above opinionated views and information serves to educated and informed consumer . The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. .It should not replaced professional advise and consultation. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions |
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