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PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Parkinson's disease affects the way you move. It happens when there is a problem with certain nerve cells in the brain.

Normally, these nerve cells make an important chemical called dopamine. Dopamine sends signals to the part of your brain that controls movement. It lets your muscles move smoothly and do what you want them to do. When you have Parkinson’s, these nerve cells break down. Then you no longer have enough dopamine, and you have trouble moving the way you want to.
Parkinson’s is progressive, which means it gets worse over time. But usually this happens slowly, over a period of many years.
And there are good treatments that can help you live a full life.

What are the symptoms?

The four main symptoms of Parkinson’s are:

• Tremor, which means shaking or trembling. Tremor may affect your hands, arms, legs, or head.
• Stiff muscles.
• Slow movement.
• Problems with balance or walking.

In time, Parkinson’s affects muscles all through your body, so it can lead to problems like trouble swallowing or constipation. In the later stages of the disease, a person with Parkinson’s may have a fixed or blank expression, trouble speaking, and other problems. Some people also have a decrease in mental skills (dementia)   People usually start to have symptoms between the ages of 50 and 60, but in some people symptoms start earlier.

 

 



 
           

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