Concept and Etiology
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative nervous system condition that
impairs mobility (Ball et al., 2019). Initial symptoms gradually appear
and may begin with a barely detectable tremor in only one hand.
Although there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, drugs can help with
symptoms.
Classification
Types of Parkinson's include:
Idiopathic Parkinson's disease, Juvenile Parkinson's, Drug-induced
parkinsonism, Multiple system atrophy, Progressive supranuclear
palsy, Corticobasal syndrome, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Vascular
Parkinsonism, and normal pressure hydrocephalus (Jellinger, 2019).
Clinical manifestations
Its clinical manifestations include; Akinesia which is abnormal
movement. Those who are suffering can only move slowly. They may
move shakily, taking brief, progressively little steps. Muscle stiffness
or rigidity is another common symptom that involves the limbs, legs,
and neck, in particular, that become stiff and strained over time
(Santos-García et al., 2020). If someone else attempts to move the
patient's limbs, it is difficult, if not impossible, and the individual
stiffens up even more. Most persons with Parkinson's disease
experience tremors at rest, i.e., involuntary shaking. It becomes
worse as they move, but it is especially bad in the hands.
Diagnostic tests
The existence of motor symptoms is used to diagnose PD. The
neurosurgeon employs a visual check of fine motor and semi-
quantitative rating measures, like the Hoehn–Yahr (HY) Scale and the
Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating
Scale, to examine movement problems (MDS-UPDRS) (Postuma et
al., 2016). Because of neurologist bias, this subjective evaluation
leads to inter-and intra-rater variability; consequently, objective
motor assessment methods are critical in the future of PD diagnosis
processes.
References
Ball, N., Teo, W.-P., Chandra, S., & Chapman, J. (2019). Parkinson's disease and the
environment.$Frontiers in neurology,10, 218.
Doerr, B. M. (2015). Maslow's Hierarchy and Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease:
Systematic Review of Stages and Interventions.
Jellinger, K. A. (2019). Is Braak staging valid for all types of Parkinson’s disease? $Journal
of Neural Transmission,126(4), 423-431.
Postuma, R. B., Berg, D., Adler, C. H., Bloem, B. R., Chan, P., Deuschl, G., . . . Joseph, L.
(2016). The new definition and diagnostic criteria of Parkinson's disease.$The Lancet
Neurology,15(6), 546-548.
Santos‐García, D., de Deus Fonticoba, T., Suarez Castro, E., Aneiros Diaz, A., McAfee,
D., Catalan, M., . . . Mir, P. (2020). Non‐motor symptom burden is strongly correlated to
motor complications in patients with Parkinson’s disease.$European Journal of
Neurology,27(7), 1210-1223.
