Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common central nervous system degenerative disease in the middle-aged and the elderly after the age of 50. The main symptoms include involuntary tremor of limbs at rest, myotonia, bradykinesia and postural balance disorder, etc., resulting in patient’s inability to take care of themselves in the late stage. At the same time, other symptoms, such as psychological problems such as depression and anxiety, also bring great burden to patients and their families.
Nowadays, Parkinson’s disease has become the third “killer” of middle-aged and elderly people besides cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and tumors. However, people know a little about Parkinson’s disease.
What Causes Parkinson’s Disease?
The specific cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown, but it is mainly related to aging, genetic and environmental factors. The apparent cause of the disease is caused by insufficient dopamine secretion.
Age: Parkinson’s disease mainly onset in middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old. The older the patient, the higher the incidence.
Familial heredity: The relatives of families who had a history of Parkinson’s disease have a higher incidence rate than that of normal people.
Environmental factors: Potential toxic substances in the environment damage dopamine neurons in the brain.
Alcoholism, trauma, overwork, and some mental factors are also likely to cause the disease. If a person who loves to laugh suddenly stops, or if a person suddenly has symptoms such as shaking hands and head, he could have Parkinson’s disease.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
Tremor or shaking
The fingers or thumbs, palms, mandibles, or lips begin to tremble slightly, and legs will shake unconsciously when sitting or relaxing. Limb tremor or shaking is the most common early manifestation of Parkinson’s disease.
Hyposmia
Patients’ sense of smell will not be as sensitive as before to some foods. If you can’t smell bananas, pickles and spices, you should go to the doctor.
Sleep disorders
Lying in bed but cannot sleep, kicking or shouting during deep sleep, or even fall out of bed while sleeping. Abnormal behaviors during sleep may be one of the manifestations of Parkinson’s disease.
It becomes difficult to move or walk
It begins with stiffness in the body, upper or lower limbs, and the stiffness will not disappear after exercise. When walking, Meanwhile, patients’ arms can’t swing normally while walking. The early symptom could be shoulder joint or hip joint stiffness and pain, and sometimes patients would feel like their feet stuck to the ground.
Constipation
Normal defecation habits change, so it’s important to pay attention to eliminate constipation caused by diet or drugs.
Expression changes
Even when in a good mood, other people may feel the patient serious, dull or worried, which is called “mask face”.
Dizziness or fainting
Feeling dizzy when standing up from a chair could be due to hypotension, but it may also be related to Parkinson’s disease. It may be normal to have this kind of situation occasionally, but if it happens frequently, you should go to the doctor.
How to Prevent Parkinson’s Disease?
1. Know the risk of disease in advance through genetic testing
In 2011, Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, revealed in his blog that he had a high risk of suffering from Parkinson’s disease through genetic testing, and the risk coefficient is between 20-80%.
With Google’s IT platform, Brin began to implement another way to fight Parkinson’s disease. He helped Fox Parkinson’s Disease Research Foundation to set up a DNA database of 7000 patients, using the method of “collecting data, putting forward hypotheses, and then finding solutions to problems” to study Parkinson’s disease.
2. Other ways to prevent Parkinson’s disease
Strengthening physical and mental exercise is an effective way to prevent and treat Parkinson’s disease, which can delay the aging of brain nerve tissue. Exercise with more changes and in more complicated forms can be good for delaying the decline of motor functions.
Avoid or reduce the use of perphenazine, reserpine, chlorpromazine, and other drugs that induce paralysis agitans.
Avoid contact with toxic chemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, pesticides, etc.
Avoid or reduce exposure to substances toxic to the human nervous system, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, manganese, mercury, etc.
Prevention and treatment of cerebral arteriosclerosis is the fundamental measure to prevent Parkinson’s disease, and clinically, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia should be treated seriously.
Post time: Dec-07-2020