Parkinson’s disease is an ever growing nerve disease that affects approximately 50,000 Americans each year. It is, essentially, a breakdown of the chemical dopamine, which signals the parts of the brain that controls muscle movement. When your nerve cells break down and don’t create enough dopamine, you are no longer able to control your muscle movements they way you’d like to. This is the progression of Parkinson’s disease, as it gets continually worse over a period of years. Although this can be debilitating for some people, medical treatments can allow you to live a full, happy lifestyle.
Although the most common symptoms of the onset of Parkinson’s include tremors and muscle stiffness, dementia can also occur. Memory loss is very common in the later stages of Parkinson’s disease and should not be overlooked.
People with Parkinson’s disease experience increasingly serious issues later in life while dealing with the disease, and a neurological exam can help doctors determine the seriousness and the stage of the disease.