Understanding Parkinson’s disease

Listed below are some of the more frequently asked questions by people with Parkinson’s disease with the aim of helping you get a better understanding of the disease and what’s to be expected with the progression of the disease.

• Is Parkinson’s disease hereditary?

Parkinson’s disease is not generally thought to be a hereditary disease in that it doesn’t get passed from one generation to another, however the risk of getting the disease if someone in your family has it is slightly increased. Genetic factors are linked this way just as heart disease and diabetes are, though the exact reason why genetic factors are increased remains unclear.

• Do only old people get Parkinson’s disease?

While Parkinson’s disease is more prevalent in people aged over 60, 1 in 20 sufferers are under the age of 40 and 1 in 10 are under the age of 50. In only very rare instances does Parkinson’s disease affect anyone under the age of 25.

• Can toxic substances cause Parkinson’s disease?

Some people who use drugs have become ill with symptoms similar to those which Parkinson’s disease sufferers get, however most of these were found to be brought on by poisonous by products contained in the drugs taken. By products very similar to pesticides were found to be used in drugs, however no substance has been positively identified as having been the cause of Parkinson’s disease.

• Is there a cure for Parkinson’s disease?

At the present time there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease though there are now many treatments available for alleviating symptoms associated with the disease. Parkinson’s is a disease which does progress even with medication, medication will normally give the sufferer a rest period of around two years, however problems associated with the disease will begin to occur again.

• Why does medication for Parkinson’s produce an on/off effect?

The rest period that is associated with Levodopa treatment and which will normally occur in about two years of using the medication causes what patients describe as on/off effects, a person will have adequate control of their illness for a period of time then suddenly switch to periods of immobility.

While the exact reason for this effect is not know it is thought that as the disease progresses the number of dopaminergic cells decrease so there are fewer cells in the brain to take the drug. Also because Levodopa is taken orally there are fluctuations in the plasma concentrations of the drug.