WHAT IS PARKINSON?
Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive neurological disease caused by brain nerve cell damage that causes dopamine levels to drop. It begins with tremors in the hands and causes muscle stiffness and loss of balance, leading to symptoms that are beyond control.
Parkinson's disease is a group of progressive, or degenerative, brain diseases that are more common in people over 60. Dopamine is one of the substances (neurotransmitters) that facilitate electrical communication between brain cells. The brain region that functions with dopamine ensures that our movements are carried out in a purposeful manner, effectively fine-tuning our movements. Parkinson's disease occurs when 60-80 percent of the dopamine-communicating cells are lost. Parkinson's symptoms vary among patients, especially in the early stages.
Parkinson's symptoms
Symptoms of Parkinson's include slowing of movement, tremors in the limbs at rest, muscle stiffness, impaired reflexes that maintain posture and balance, small steps and sometimes unsteady gait, leaning forward, pain in the joints, depression, sleep disturbance, inability to move fluently and in harmony with each other, and forgetfulness.
In general, Parkinson's symptoms can be listed as follows:
- Decrease or loss of arm swing movements while walking over time
- Shortening of steps
- Difficulty starting to walk
- Difficulty buttoning or unbuttoning
- Difficulty turning over in bed or getting up from sitting
- Mask facial expression
- Speaking in a low and quiet tone of voice
- Shrinkage in handwriting
- There may be a tendency to bend forward/hunch back.
In Parkinson's disease, in addition to the movement symptoms originating in the brain, other symptoms and complaints are also observed. These include constipation, low blood pressure, depression, sleep disturbances, restless legs syndrome, and loss of smell. In the middle and advanced stages of the disease, gait disturbances, balance problems, and freezing of movement may occur, followed by falls. In rare cases, dementia is also present in some patients.
What causes Parkinson's disease?
The cause of Parkinson's disease is damage to the cells that produce dopamine in the brain or a decrease in dopamine as a result of cell loss.
