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Are You at Risk of Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s disease refers to an age-related degenerative brain condition, causing common symptoms such as slowed movements, tremors, stability issues, body stiffness, and possibly more. This condition is commonly caused by family history and, while not curable, is manageable.
This Pacific Prime Thailand article will discuss Parkinson’s disease, including the causes, symptoms, warning signs, and who’s at risk of developing the condition.
Overview: What is Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s disease is an age-related condition which sees part of the brain deteriorating, causing further symptoms over time. While commonly known for its effects on muscle control and stability, Parkinson’s disease can also affect the senses, thinking ability, mental health, and more.
Risks of developing the disease increases with age, with most new cases occurring in people aged 60 and above. This condition is also more common in individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB) than those assigned female at birth (AFAB).
While Parkinson’s disease can happen in younger adults in their 20s, this is extremely rare. It’s usually more common for people to develop Parkinson’s disease through family history such as parents or grandparents with the same condition.
Causes
Genetics is currently the most common cause of Parkinson’s disease, meaning individuals with a family history of Parkinson’s disease will run the risk of developing the condition themselves eventually. Two other causes of Parkinson’s disease also exist, namely Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease and Induced Parkinsonism.
Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease
Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease refers to problems with how the body uses a protein called a-synuclein (alpha-sy-nu-clee-in). When some proteins are misshapen, also known as protein misfolding, the body will be unable to use them nor break them down.
The protein then builds up in various places or certain cells, and the clumps of proteins are known as Lewy Bodies. The buildup of Lewy bodies then causes toxic effects and cell damage.
Induced Parkinsonism
Induced Parkinsonism is a condition that experts link to parkinsonism, due to their similar features, and may consider it the cause when diagnosing Parkinson’s patients. Some possible causes include exposure to toxins such as welding fumes or pesticides and repeated head injuries from high-impact or contact sports such as boxing, hockey, or football.
Symptoms
The common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, motor-related symptoms, involve slowed movements, muscle tremor even at rest, stiffness, and an unstable posture.
Also known medically as Bradykinesia, the slowed movement from Parkinson’s disease due to muscle control problems may cause delayed motor function such as less frequent blinking, not swinging arms when walking, trouble standing up or rolling over in bed, or freezing while moving.
Other issues caused by muscle control problems may also include cramped, small handwriting, drooling, difficulties swallowing, or unusually soft speaking voices.
Even when at rest, Parkinson’s disease can also cause muscle tremor, which is a rhythmic shaking of muscles. This is not to be confused with essential tremors, which usually doesn’t happen when the muscles are at rest.
Parkinson’s disease can cause two types of body rigidity or stiffness issues, namely lead-pipe and cogwheel stiffness. Lead-pipe stiffness is a constant, unchanging stiffness when moving a particular body part, while cogwheel stiffness happens through a combination of tremor and lead-pipe stiffness, causing jerking, stop-and-go-type movements similar to the minute hand on a clock.
Combined, the slowed movements and body stiffness can cause an unstable, hunched posture or a snooped stance, usually appearing as the disease worsens and can be seen when a person walks, taking shorter strides with less arm movements or taking several steps when turning.
Warning Signs: Non-Motor Symptoms
Experts believe non-motor symptoms to be risk factors and warning signs of developing Parkinson’s disease if they manifest at least years or decades before any motor symptoms.
Examples of these warning signs include depression and trouble thinking or focusing, sleep problems such as periodic limb movement or rapid eye movement disorder, and loss of the sense of smell (anosmia).
Diagnosis
Parkinson’s disease diagnosis is a clinical process, heavily relying on examination and medical history reviews at your local healthcare provider. Some examples of clinical procedures for Parkinson’s disease diagnosis include blood tests, CT (computer tomography) scans, and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
Management and Treatment
While there is no surefire cure for the disease, symptoms can be managed and treated with the help of healthcare professionals. For instance, if you suspect you have Parkinson’s disease, see a doctor immediately and your doctor will then refer you to a local neurologist, who can then run tests and examine your medical history to determine your condition.
Treatment can vary from patient to patient depending on the severity of their symptoms. Certain lifestyle changes like diet or exercise can also benefit Parkinson’s patients as do regular appointments with physical or occupational therapists.
Conclusion
Parkinson’s disease is primarily attributed to genetics, meaning if you have a history of the disease in your family, then you run the risk of developing the condition yourself eventually as well. Symptoms could begin with small but detrimental warning signs such as difficulties focusing or thinking and sleep disorders.
Regardless, if you suspect you may have Parkinson’s disease, don’t wait until small warning signs worsen into motor symptoms that may be more difficult to treat and manage. Make sure to see your doctor as soon as possible, and your doctor will refer you to a neurologist for further tests.
While Parkinson’s disease is largely unavoidable because it is mostly linked to genetics, you can always craft a safety net for yourself and your family with a health insurance plan. A health insurance plan not only covers specified procedures and examinations, but pays for prescribed medication as well.
While finding a suitable plan may be daunting, it doesn’t always have to be a headache and we’re happy to help you. As an experienced health insurance broker, Pacific Prime Thailand has helped both expats and locals seek out a suitable health insurance plan that matches both their budget and unique healthcare needs.
Whether you’re a local Thai citizen yourself or an expat in Thailand, we will be more than happy to help you with completely impartial advice at no additional cost. If you have any further questions, please get in touch with us and get a free quote here for plan comparisons.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, Media & Communication major (concentration: Creative Content) from Mahidol University International College (MUIC). During the compulsory major elective period in the summer of 2021 and voluntarily during the summer of 2022, he also interned as a video and photo editor at Mbrella Films.
He has experience working as an English Content Writer at a real estate buying/renting/selling platform in Thonglor. There, he crafted company blog posts on a multitude of topics. Topics include market trends, legal issues and disputes in property businesses, financial guides, expat guides, home insurance, home decoration and maintenance, and weekly real estate news quick-recaps. Occasionally, as part of the blog-writing process, he would also translate existing Thai blogs to English.
In his free time, Guy enjoys doing scriptwriting and storytelling for comic strips, watching movies, and listening to music (particularly film scores).
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