When asked what are the specific characteristics of Parkinson’s disease, there are three major symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, tremors, slow and sluggish movements and muscle rigidity. In addition to these there is a small fractured gait, patients do not stand easily and take half a day to turn around, and there are also disorders of plant nerve function. For example, the face tends to be oily and sweaty, which are signs of plant nerve dysfunction. In addition, constipation often occurs.
The cause of this disease is not very clear medical explanation, but there are some claims, such as pollution, environmental problems, the doctrine of poisoning, chemical, pesticides, etc., but these are speculation, and there is no certainty. Because in terms of incidence, there is no difference between developed and underdeveloped countries, and the incidence of farmers is not higher than that of urban people. There are some superficially seemingly more urban people and not so many rural people, which is also a misconception, because urban people have better medical conditions, rural people appear to be walking less fast, thinking it is because of old age, so they ignore it, and from rural hospitals do not see this problem. Parkinson’s disease has some common pathological manifestations, mainly a structure inside the brain is the substantia nigra, the neuronal cells in the substantia nigra secrete neurotransmitters, Parkinson’s disease patients can see neuronal necrosis, the release of dopamine is not enough, the receptor decline, there is a series of Parkinson’s disease symptoms, so our drug treatment is for dopamine decline, is to promote the remaining dopamine work more, release more dopamine.
There are three major symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that we talk about, in addition to tremors, there are slow and sluggish movements, and muscle rigidity. There are some other differences between Ali’s Parkinson’s syndrome and what we call Parkinson’s disease. For example, Ali has some cognitive decline, language difficulties, and the biggest feature is that most Parkinson’s syndrome is very poor for drug treatment, but Parkinson’s disease early drug treatment is better, such as levodopa these things are very effective, but Ali took this drug is not effective.
What are the specific features of Parkinson’s disease?
In addition to the three main symptoms just mentioned, tremor, slow movement, muscle rigidity, and a small gait, and he can not easily stand still, turn around to turn half a day, and plant nerve function disorders. These symptoms are often overlooked, for example, the face is prone to oil, sweating, these are plant nerve dysfunction. There is also constipation that occurs frequently. It is because of these symptoms that Parkinson’s disease is different from ordinary people in life.
So what are the causes of Parkinson’s disease?
Now the cause of this disease is not very clear medical explanation, but there are some claims, such as pollution, environmental problems, the doctrine of poisoning, chemical, pesticides and so on, but these are speculation, and there is no certainty. Because in terms of incidence, there is no difference between developed and underdeveloped countries, and the incidence of farmers is not higher than that of urban people. There are some superficially seemingly more urban people and not so many rural people, which is also a misconception, because urban people have better medical conditions, rural people appear to be walking less fast, thinking it is because of old age, so they ignore it, and from rural hospitals do not see this problem. Parkinson’s disease has some common pathological manifestations, mainly a structure inside the brain is the substantia nigra, the neuronal cells in the substantia nigra secrete neurotransmitters, Parkinson’s disease patients can see neuronal necrosis, the release of dopamine is not enough, the receptor decline, there is a series of Parkinson’s disease symptoms, so our drug treatment is for dopamine decline, is to promote the remaining dopamine work more, release more dopamine.
The cause is not very clear, so we do not know how to prevent it?
In fact, there is not a lot of prevention, a very small number of familial, we should pay attention to it, but there is no medicine, or what exercise can be done to prevent, there is no preventive measures. Generally speaking, Parkinson’s disease is not genetic predisposition, not that he has it, the child must have it.
Are there any precursors?
Yes, there are. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease generally appear early, such as occasional hand shaking when doing something, a few days good, a few days bad, unconscious slow movement, limb inflexibility, and the appearance of symptoms generally start from one side, not from both sides, either the upper limbs, lower limbs, not the phenomenon of double lower limbs. In terms of treatment, there is no need for direct medication in the early stages of the disease, but perhaps some general physical exercise and rehabilitation activities.
You said here, I have a friend with an elderly family, a male, usually drink a lot of alcohol, he reached 60 years old at the drinking table this phenomenon, some people say because of excessive drinking, is this disease?
This should be distinguished, he may also be alcoholic encephalopathy, or idiopathic tremor, perhaps because of the young hand shaking, eating, when the glass of wine hand shaking, especially the onset of young people is idiopathic tremor, it is different from Parkinson’s disease is not developed into gradually slow movement and other symptoms, this is a difference.
When it comes to the comparison of the incidence of Parkinson’s disease in China and abroad, it is not that the incidence of Parkinson’s disease is less in developed countries and less in developing countries.
In our country, we did an epidemiological survey many years ago, and the incidence rate was considered to be close to the international rate, with a prevalence rate of 3% to 5% in the elderly over 55 years of age.
Is there an approximate concept, such as how old are you prone to the disease?
In the past, the prevalence rate increased exponentially at the age of 50 or 55, but over the years, the onset of the disease has become earlier and earlier, and in the past, if the onset of the disease occurred at the age of 30, we would consider it to be other diseases, but through these years, we have observed that these people in their 30s may also have Parkinson’s disease, and the incidence tends to be younger.
If Parkinson’s disease is really diagnosed, what are the treatment options?
When it comes to Parkinson’s disease in the early stages, it is divided into five stages, or five phases, according to the severity of the disease internationally. In the early stage, some symptoms occur occasionally and do not have any impact on life, in this case we are more to observe and then do some appropriate rehabilitation exercises and physical exercises. In the early stage, some symptoms are treated medically, and some nutritional drugs can be used at the earliest stage. If the symptoms are aggravated, we need to use some dopamine preparations, such as methyldopa, which is the most used. However, Parkinson’s disease has a characteristic that medication does not slow down the progression of the disease. The normal progression is about 5 years to moderate to severe, which is the clinical stage 3 to 4.
Now there are some new drugs that are relatively expensive and have some efficacy. However, there is a characteristic of drug treatment for this disease, patients inevitably have the problem that the effective time of drug treatment becomes shorter and shorter after about 4 or 5 years. For example, at the beginning, the medication can be used for 3 to 4 hours, and the quality of life during the day is very good, but after a few years, the duration of the medication becomes shorter and shorter, even to 1 to 2 hours. He can’t take one medication many times, there are times when it is well controlled and times when it is not. When it is well controlled, he can do something, but after the medication is effective, he has to sit at home and can’t move, the medical term is “on and off”, and after 4 or 5 years, the off time is much more than the off time. That is, the time when he is in bad condition during the day is much higher than the time when he is in good condition.
After going to bed at night, he may be quieter and doesn’t need to do things. But in fact, it’s hard for a Parkinson’s patient to sleep at night because he can’t turn over. People have to turn over many times during the night, and it is impossible to sleep in one position until dawn. Normal people do not feel it, but Parkinson’s disease is painful because they cannot turn over. The elderly can’t move without help when they get up to go to the bathroom, so they are in a lot of pain. And there is no medicine at night, so this state is very difficult to survive. It is very difficult for the patient at this time, and the good state is only a few hours a day, and not even at night. What should we do in this situation?
We can’t increase the dose of drugs indefinitely, so we have to intervene in other treatments after stage 3 or 4 in the middle and late stages. In the last decade or so, a very popular international and common in China is deep brain electrical stimulation, the advantage of this treatment is to prolong the patient’s “open” time. In the absence of drugs, he can still have some basic movements, such as walking, turning over, and not trembling hands, so that the patient’s quality of life will be much improved and feel much more comfortable.
Will it be life-threatening at stage 5?
It is not as powerful as a tumor, but eventually it will lead to complications, such as old age, immobility, fractures after a fall, elderly people lying in bed will never walk again, and there will be some pneumonia, respiratory infections, etc. Therefore, it is other complications that endanger his life, not the disease itself. I would like to remind patients that there are some advertisements saying that they can cure Parkinson’s disease, which is not credible and not scientifically justified.
Does Parkinson’s disease have much to do with the seasons, and is there anything to be aware of in the fall and winter?
There is no seasonal difference in the disease itself, but patients with Parkinson’s disease have different symptoms in different seasons. Some patients have a harder time in the summer because they sweat easily in the summer, and their symptoms are worse because they have a disorder of the vegetative nerves and cannot withstand heat. But after autumn and winter new problems arise, autumn is drier, this patient itself will be constipated, the symptoms will be heavier, in terms of dietary regulation. In winter, Parkinson’s disease patients have a more difficult time, because winter can easily cause respiratory infections and lung inflammation, the elderly resistance is poor, plus after winter, wear more clothes, Parkinson’s patients themselves are not a lot of activities, more clothes after more inconvenient, so the chance of falling is greater.
In China, Parkinson’s disease is very serious, and many people in their 40s and 50s can no longer work and have to retire early. But people abroad are more realistic, it’s okay to have this disease, although it can’t be cured, but there are still many ways to deal with this disease. You can take medication early and be able to ensure that you can work and live well during the day. Even if the disease is more serious, surgery can play a big role in improving the patient’s quality of life, and the effects of surgery can last for many years. If the patient’s living condition is better adjusted and he pays more attention to his life, he can maintain a good condition until his 60s or 70s. Therefore, it is important not to be afraid because of this disease, and this disease can easily lead to depression, you do not pay attention to the regulation, it will aggravate.