Who Gets Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease affects generally elder adults, among about 90% of the known cases are diagnosed in people over the age of 60. Within that population, there is a small amount of variance, with the danger increasing from age 60 through age 75, and then going down sharply. Currently, Parkinson’s Disease is known to affect about 3% of the population over the age of 65. With present statistics and the probable aging of the population, authorities think that that percentage will double in the next 40 years.
When those with mild symptoms of Parkinsons (symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease that may be caused by other things, or could develop into Parkinson’s Disease), those numbers increase dramatically. 15% of those between the ages of 60 and 74 have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Between the ages of 75 and 84, that percentage rises to almost 30%.
However, when you look at it in terms of inception of symptoms, the picture changes. Fewer than 10% of new cases of Parkinson’s disease are diagnosed in younger adults - under age 40. The majority of new diagnoses of Parkinson’s disease are made between the ages of 60 and 75. After age 85, the danger of developing Parkinson’s Disease then seems to fall off dramatically.
What are the factors that effect diagnoses?
Gender
Men appear to be at greater risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease than women. Men have to deal with about double the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease as women in any age group. Scientists think that estrogens may play a function in protecting the body from the chemical changes that occur in Parkinson’s Disease. This is further borne out by two facts - women who’ve had hysterectomies have a somewhat higher rate of Parkinson’s Disease, and women who’ve had estrogen replacement therapy have a lower rate of Parkinson’s Disease than other women their age.
Parkinson’s Disease seems to growth more quickly in men than women according to one study, and another found a difference in the way that symptoms present. Men are more prone to rigidity and tremor, and women more at danger from gait disturbance and shuffling.
Ethnicity
Caucasians have a higher danger of developing Parkinson’s Disease than either African Americans or Asian Americans. People of European descent appear most prone to usual Parkinson’s Disease, but some studies hint at that non-Caucasians may be more at risk for a particular type of non-typical Parkinsonis that causes a disturbance in judgment.
Heredity
In a small percentage of cases, family history may play a part in the inception of Parkinson’s Disease. People who have parents or brothers and sisters who had young-onset Parkinson’s Disease, in which symptoms develop before the age of 40, are more probable to develop Parkinson’s Disease than others their age. When Parkinson’s Disease was diagnosed at older ages, family history looks like it’s to play no part.
Cigarette Smokers
Oddly, cigarette smokers appear to have a diminished incidence of Parkinson’s Disease, which has led researchers to explore the probability that nicotine may give some protection from the fluctuations caused by Parkinson’s Disease. They are quick to point out that the other health problems associated with cigarette smoking are far too significant to think cigarette smoking as a way to avoid getting Parkinson’s Disease.
Coffee Drinkers
Caffeine also seems to have a protective result against Parkinson’s Disease. A study of Japanese-American men suggested that those who commonly drank coffee ran a lesser risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease than other men their age. The more coffee they consumed, the lower the risk.
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Why is Parkinson’s Disease Difficult to Diagnose
While Parkinson’s disease has very distinctive features, it is rather a difficult disease to identify, particularly while it is in its early stages. Unfortunately there are no precise tests, which doctors can do to establish an exact diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and regrettably especially in its early stages it might be mistaken for other diseases. If and when this happens, it delays or prevents the appropriate action being administered in the quickest feasible time.
The trouble with diagnosing Parkinson’s disease accurately is just that the symptoms are not always as clear as doctors would like them to be, Actually there are suggestions that up to 25% of those people presently being treated for Parkinson’s disease might have been wrongly diagnosed and are thus getting inappropriate treatment.
Generally patients that are suspected of suffering from Parkinson’s disease are given tests to guarantee they are certainly not suffering from an illness that can be diagnosed using common methods such as CT scanning, urine sampling X-ray and blood tests etc. However just because these tests may have an inconclusive answer, it doesn’t always mean the person is definitely suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Regrettably some doctors think this is the case, and will automatically offer a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
Tests that can be carried out to test for Parkinson’s disease involve systematic neurological assessments that comprise testing the person’s reflexes, balance, muscle strength walk and common movement. Because there are a range of neurological disorders that have similar characteristics to Parkinson’s disease, it’s not very surprising that Parkinson’s disease is so regularly misdiagnosed. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, it doesn’t always hurt to ask your doctor for a second opinion or even better to request to be referred to a physician who specialises in this kind of disease.
An early accurate diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is normally the key to the sufferer being able to preserve their independence and a decent quality of life for fairly a long time.
Some neurological conditions that are regularly confused with Parkinson’s disease include: -
Multiple system atrophy
Supranuclear palsy
Benign Essential Tremor
Multiple Sclerosis
Huntington’s disease
Striato-Nigral Degeneration
Brain tumour
Remaining as independent as feasible is vital to the wellbeing of most sufferers of Parkinson’s disease, and ensuring the symptoms are kept to a minimum by both an accurate diagnosis and treatment is the key to achieving this.
To find a host of tips and information on all aspects of Parkinsons Disease visit
http://www.parkinsonsdiseaseadvisor.com
You may reproduce this article provided you maintain an active link back to
http://www.parkinsonsdiseaseadvisor.com
Parkinsons Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease of the substantia nigra, was first discovered and its symptoms documented in 1817. This discovery and docomentation was by British physician Dr. James Parkinson. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that the associated biochemical changes in the brain of patients were able to be identified. Although many genes have recently been identified, there are still several others that remain unkown. Parkinson’s disease involves a progressive movement disorder of the extrapyramidal system. The extrapyramidal system controls and adjusts communication between neurons in the brain and muscles in the human body. As you can see this is a huge, and important task. PD will commonly coincide with depression and disturbances of sensory systems due to the damage that it has on the brain. Aprroximately one out of every 600 people have Parkinson’s disease in the United States of America. The rates increase with age, especially apparent in those over 55.
Still unknown, is the cause of Parkinson’s disease. 9 different genetic defects have been found. Each of these nine cause the disease in 1 or a few more familes with extremely high incidences of the disease. This unfortunately hasn’t take geneticists further as these familes are so rare to find. Although strong inheritance patterns are extremely rare, an person who is infected with PD is 3 to 4 times more likely to have a close relative who also has PD.
Today the strongest theory for the cause of Parkinson’s disease is from “the combination of a subtle genetically-determined vulnerability to environmental toxins along with even limited exposure to those toxins. The toxins most strongly suspected at present are certain pesticides and industrial metals.”
I wish that I had an answer like many others do to the cause of Parkinson’s. One thing that we know though, is that as science and technology increases, so will man’s understanding of diseases such as Parkinson’s.
Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.
Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Parkinsons Disease Treatment - http://www.parkinsons-disease-treatment.com, which is the best site on the internet for all Parkinsons Disease related information.
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