Parkinson's disease

PD is a progressive neurological condition affecting movements such as walking, talking, and writing. It is named after Dr. James Parkinson (1755-1824), who first described the disease in 1817 in ‘an Essay on Shaking Palsy’.  It wasn’t however until 1888 that Charcot identified the name ‘Parkinson’s Disease’.    

Along with Alzheimer's disease, PD is well recognised as a neurodegenerative disease, affecting a large number of patients throughout the world.

There are 3 basic types of PD - drug induced, post encephalitic (caused by a disease) and idiopathic (spontaneous - no known cause).

PD occurs as result of a loss of nerve cells in the part of the brain known as the substantia nigra. These cells are responsible for producing a chemical known as dopamine, which allows messages to be sent to the parts of the brain that co-ordinate movement. With the depletion of dopamine-producing cells, these parts of the brain are unable to function normally.

The symptoms of PD usually develop gradually, and each patient's progression will be individual. It may take years for symptoms to reach the stage where treatment intervention is needed.

There is now a wide range of treatment options available to PD patients, offering improved quality of life, and which mean that PD patients have a fairly normal life expectancy.  However, there is currently no cure.