Although the disease has been known and medicines have been given since ancient times, it was formally documented in 1817 by Dr. James Parkinson and formally recognized as “Essay on the Shaking Palsy”. There have been famous people with Parkinsons disease who have brought this disease in the limelight. It later came to be known as Parkinson’s disease by the efforts of Jean martin Charcot. Major work by Swedish scientists Arvid Carlsson on finding the biochemical changes in the brain during the1950’s earned him a Nobel Prize.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive degenerative disease that occurs when groups of cells in the rain malfunction and degenerate, usually associated with old age .Loss of neurotransmitter known as Dopamine affects the normal brain function that control the movement, coordination and initiation. It also affects mood, behavior, thinking and sensation. The main symptoms of Parkinson’s are: tremors are maximized when the limbs are at rest but with voluntary conscious movements tremors decrease. There is stiffness and rigidity when the limbs are passively moved.
Balance becomes less with postural instability. Along with motor disturbances and disability there are behavioral disturbances like depression, dementia, and memory loss. Some of the cognitive disability improves with medicines. There are other related language impairments that sets in after a spell- rapid, soft, intelligible speech.
As far as treatment goes, L- Dopa is used in various forms, while complemented by Tolcapone and COMT. These enzyme based drugs help in better absorption of L- dopa. Parkinson’s is a very common disease that affects people over the age of 60 years. Some of the famous people with Parkinsons disease and suffered from these progressive, degenerative diseases are Katherine Hepburn. Terry Thomas and Michael J Fox (acting), General Janet Reno. (Attorney), President Harry Truman, Chairman Mao Tse Tung, General MacArthur. Irving Layton (poet), Pope John Paul II, Billy Graham, Johnny Cash. (Singer), Boxer Muhammad Ali.Diseases cut across ranks, status, color and race affecting people as they move into their sunset years.