World Parkinson’s Day
By Vyshna Suresh
World Parkinson’s Day is celebrated on the 11th of April every year to raise awareness of Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that affects both the motor system and non-motor systems. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease progresses, non-motor symptoms become more common. Parkinson’s manifests differently for everyone – different symptoms, different experiences. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and affects approximately six million people globally. Diagnosis is scary and there’s currently no cure. Early symptoms may include tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking.
History
Dr. James Parkinson, an English doctor and scientist, first described the disease in “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy”, which was published in 1817.
The first World Parkinson’s Day took place in 1997. It was started by a collaboration between the World Health Organization and the European Parkinson’s Disease Association (EPDA), with the two groups having a focus on raising awareness and support for research and information surrounding prevention of and a cure for this medical condition.
It is now an official WHO holiday supported by the United Nations. In the 1680s, it was Sylvius de la Boë, a Dutch physician and scientist who made a note of the “rest tremor” that would eventually become the critical sign of this disease.
Causes and Risk Factors
The typical motor symptoms of Parkinson’s are due to the deaths of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) brain region, resulting in a dopamine deficit in the striatum. However, the underlying cause of Parkinson’s is unknown, and none of the proposed risk factors have been conclusively proven.
Age is the most significant risk factor. The most frequently replicated environmental relationships are an increased risk in those exposed to pesticides and a reduced risk in smokers.
- Genetic
Research indicates that PD results from a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Around 15% of diagnosed individuals have a first-degree relative with the disease, and 5–10% have a mutation in at least one high risk gene.
- Non-Genetic
Multi-decade studies have identified an increased likelihood of Parkinson’s in association with agricultural work, pesticide exposure, and rural habitation. Chlorinated solvents, used in commercial and industrial application like dry cleaning and degreasing, are associated with increased PD risk, particularly trichloroethylene. Some medical drugs are implicated in parkinsonism; drug-induced parkinsonism is normally reversible by stopping the offending agent, such as phenothiazines, butyrophenones, metoclopramide, and Tetrabenazine
Prevention and Treatment
Exercise in middle age may reduce the risk of PD later in life. Studies have shown that caffeine appears to be protective with a greater decrease in risk of occurring the disease. Antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, have been proposed to protect against the disease, but results of studies have been contradictory and no positive effect has been shown. Multiple studies have demonstrated a link between the use of ibuprofen and NSAIDS (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to a decreased risk of Parkinson’s development.
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