// BEGIN editorial data var i = 0; var Parkinsons_bcol_040502 = new Array(); Parkinsons_bcol_040502.ID = "Parkinsons_bcol_040502"; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.ID_WB = 4442106; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.sPubDate = "11/17/2005 12:50:02 AM GMT"; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.navsectionID = "3088327" Parkinsons_bcol_040502.appFmt = 2; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.itemsPerPage = 1; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.appWidth = 460; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.appHeader = "Q & A|Parkinson's disease"; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.appNavStyle = 3; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.appLayout = 3; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.copyHeight = 270; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.copyWidth = 330; Parkinsons_bcol_040502.copyMargin = 9; Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i++] = new Array("","Introduction","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i-1].body = "Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive disorder of the central nervous system that affects more than 1 million Americans."; Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i++] = new Array("","Who gets Parkinson's?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i-1].body = "Age is one of the main risk factors for Parkinson's disease. The average age of onset is in the mid-50s, though up to 10 percent of patients develop symptoms before the age of 40. Heredity also appears to play a role – recent research shows that people with a close relative with the disease have a three times greater risk of developing it themselves. In addition, people who are exposed to herbicides and pesticides have been shown to have an increased risk. Also, men are affected slightly more often than women."; Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i++] = new Array("","What causes it?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i-1].body = "Doctors don’t know exactly what triggers the disease, but they do know that Parkinson’s results in the degeneration of cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra. This region produces dopamine, a substance that allows people to move normally. People with Parkinson’s have a shortage of dopamine."; Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i++] = new Array("","What are the most common symptoms?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i-1].body = "The hallmark symptoms are tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement and postural instability. The earliest signs are tremors and slowness of movement that are usually worse on one side of the body than the other. As the disease progresses, it causes rigidity and then later on leads to instability of stance and posture.

Mental function is usually not affected in early Parkinson’s but there can be cognitive deterioration as the disease progresses. Up to 25 percent of patients with advanced disease experience some level of mental impairment, such as memory loss and poor concentration."; Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i++] = new Array("","How quickly does the condition progress?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i-1].body = "It really varies from person to person. But Parkinson’s usually advances more slowly in younger people than the elderly. Still, the rate of progression is variable and impossible to predict."; Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i++] = new Array("","How is it treated?","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Parkinsons_bcol_040502[i-1].body = "There is no drug that can prevent cell loss in the substantia nigra. Doctors can only treat the symptoms with a number of drugs:

Also available for some Parkinson’s patients are surgical interventions including brain tissue transplants, using an electrode to destroy the cells that cause unwanted movements and deep brain stimulation with a pacemaker-like device.
"; // END editorial data