Parkinson's Disease Outline

Did you know that Parkinson’s disease affects up to 1 million people just in the U.S.? Doctors diagnose up to 60,000 cases a year. The average age that this disease affects is 60. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive disorder, which means that it worsens over time. This disease is the death of nerve cells in the brain. These nerve cells are called neurons and neurons produce dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that controls movement and coordination. Over time, a person can no longer control their body movements because of the production of dopamine has decreased. What causes Parkinson’s disease? Many experts have been looking into this disease for decades but they are still are not sure what the cause is. Some of the experts think that it could be caused by genetic or environmental factors. Studies have shown that 15%-25% of people that are related to someone that has Parkinson’s. People that have a parent or sibling that has this disease are 4%-9% more likely to develop Parkinson’s. Scientists have also found that some of the environmental factors can be rural living, well water, manganese and pesticides. Being unprotected to certain chemicals can make the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be shaking of the hands, arms, legs, jaw …show more content…
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is doing research to find knowledge about the brain and ways they can help prevent this disease. The NINDS is looking for new treatments, trying to have a better understanding and be able to diagnose Parkinson’s and to hopefully find a cure. There is many studies being done on patients but they can only do this if they volunteer. Scientists are also doing studies on animals to see the effects the medicines can have on them. These studies are giving people hope that have Parkinson’s because the research has came so far over the