Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease. The underlying symptoms are treated with a range of therapies but currently, none of these slow, stop or reverse the progression of the disease.
The symptoms of Parkinson’s are mainly caused by the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain which control movement. Low levels of dopamine affect how your body moves, making day-to-day activities such as eating, getting dressed or using everyday objects like a phone or computer difficult. The main symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement, but not everyone will experience all of these.
Parkinson’s can cause a wide range of non-movement related symptoms including chronic pain, sleep disturbance, constipation, memory concerns, anxiety and depression; all of which can impact significantly on an individual’s day-to-day life.
Each person diagnosed with Parkinson’s has a different experience, with their own combination of symptoms and side-effects; this makes treating Parkinson’s difficult.
At Cure Parkinson’s, we are striving to find treatments that change the way the disease progresses, and transform the lives of people living with Parkinson’s. Thanks to major inroads and constant advances in our understanding of the condition, new efforts to match this emerging science with novel treatments are now underway. Our work is to guide, promote and sustain these efforts and find a cure.
If you are worried about health problems that you think might be Parkinson’s, make an appointment to discuss your concerns with your family GP.