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What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative changes that occur in the central nervous system, tending to progress at a slow rate. For the first time, the symptoms of the disease were described by the doctor D. Parkinson in 1877. At that time, he defined the disease as trembling paralysis. This is due to the fact that the main signs of CNS damage are manifested in the tremor of the limbs, muscle rigidity and slowness of movement.
In terms of statistics, the disease affects 0,4% of the population over the age of 40. Older people, namely those over the age of 65, are more likely to experience this problem, in about 5% of cases. Parkinson’s disease affects 1% of the world’s elderly population under 60 years of age. Rarely, but still there are juvenile forms of the disease, when the debut occurs in childhood. In this case, doctors talk about juvenile parkinsonism. With regard to gender, men are more susceptible to the disease than women.
Life expectancy in Parkinson’s disease
The life expectancy of a person suffering from Parkinson’s disease, according to the earliest studies conducted by the Japanese, is about 7,4 years. However, recent data indicate that this figure is significantly underestimated.
It directly depends on a number of factors, namely:
from early initiation of therapy
from the patient’s country of residence
on the quality of patient care
from timely diagnosis, etc.
The latest data indicate that the disease is definitely progressing, but it is possible to slow down its development.
Some researchers come to the conclusion that a disease that starts at a young age does not affect life expectancy. Research from Britain is encouraging for young people with Parkinson’s disease, as they indicate that if the disease starts before the age of 40, the average life expectancy is 39 years. This suggests that a person will be able to live to a ripe old age. If the patient’s age ranges from 40 to 65 years, then life expectancy with proper care is 21 years. At an older age, the disease progresses faster and, on average, people live 5 years from the time of diagnosis. However, it should be taken into account that fatal diseases, such as pneumonia or problems with the heart and blood vessels, appear in a person by the age of 70 and without Parkinson’s disease.
Is Parkinson’s disease hereditary?
Geneticists have been studying the question of whether Parkinson’s disease is inherited for a long time.
However, there are certain obstacles to formulating a precise answer to this question:
Firstly, the manifestation of the disease often occurs at a late age, to which many family members simply cannot live.
Secondly, studies show that in one country, for example, in Bulgaria, familial burden of the disease occurs in 2,5% of cases. In Sweden and Norway, the disease is more common in people with type 0 blood, while in Finland, on the contrary, there are no such patients. Therefore, it is not possible to determine what exactly affects the development of pathology – genetic predisposition or place of residence, or blood type, or other factors.
Thirdly, the impossibility of studying the causes of the hereditary transmission of the disease to animals, since they do not have the necessary gene and the disease does not develop in them.
However, many scientists have stated and continue to state that the disease is inherited, although so far no scientific justification has been presented. Contrary to these claims, other researchers point out that a very small number of people with Parkinson’s disease have close relatives with a similar pathology. However, the disease is more common in families where it manifests at an early age.
Juvenile parkinsonism deserves special attention. It is hereditary and occurs between the ages of 6 and 16. The disease progresses very slowly and does not lead to impaired memory and the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Thus, the most reliable conclusion reached by modern scientists is that the hereditary form of the disease manifests itself in every tenth patient.
Early signs of Parkinson’s disease
It has long been established that non-motor symptoms are the first signs of the development of the disease, and may show themselves several years before the development of the main symptoms.
Among them are the following:
Hyposmia. Hyposmia is expressed in the fact that a person’s sense of smell is disturbed. The symptom occurs in 80% of patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Depression. In some patients, it is accompanied by anxiety and manifests itself many years before the onset of the disease.
Constipation, is observed as an early sign of the disease in more than half of the people. The act of defecation is present less than 1 time per day.
Sleep disturbances. They are characterized by frequent screams, falling from a bed, involuntary movements of the arms and legs. These disturbances are manifested in the phase of sleep, which falls on rapid eye movements.
Violations in the genitourinary system.
Apathy.
Increased fatigue. Due to the resulting decline in strength, it becomes more difficult for the patient to perform daily duties: cook dinner, clean up and even take care of himself.