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Parkinson's disease occurs when a group of cells in a portion of the brain called the substantia nigra begin to die. These cells in the substantia nigra produce a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, that sends information to the parts of the brain that control movement and coordination. When a person has Parkinson's disease, their dopamine producing cells begin to die and the amount of dopamine produced in the brain decreases. Messages from the brain telling the body how and when to move are therefore delivered slowly, leaving a person incapable of moving in a normal way.
About one percent of people over the age of 65 have Parkinson's disease. The disease is slightly more common in men than women. Most people get it around the age of 60 or after 60. Not that many people have it under the age of 40, but it is possible. Parkinson's disease is found all over the world.
Parkinson's disease can also cause several different symptoms. The specific group of symptoms that an individual experiences varies from person to person. Some of the most common symptoms of Parkinson's disease are shaky hands, arms, legs, jaw and face, inflexibility of the limbs and trunk, slowness of movement and unsteadiness while they are standing. Some other symptoms include stooped posture, a urge to lean forward or backward , speech problems, such as softness of voice or slurred speech (which is caused by lack of muscle control), no facial expression, small, cramped handwriting, Difficulty swallowing, Drooling, Pain, confusion, skin problems, loss of energy, slow thinking, and short term memory.
The immediate cause of Parkinson's disease is the destruction of brain cells in a part of the brain known as the substantia nigra (SN). The substantia nigra controls many types of muscular movement by releasing a neurotransmitter called dopamine. A neurotransmitter is a chemical that transports electrical signals between brain...