Most of us think that Parkinson’s disease is mostly shaking uncontrollably, but it’s much more than that. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation:

“Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing (‘dopaminergic’) neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra.”

The Mayo Clinic provides an easier to understand definition:

“Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while a tremor may be the most well-known sign of Parkinson’s disease, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement.”

The symptoms generally progress slowly over time and may include:

• Tremors, mainly at rest and described as pill rolling tremor in hands. Other forms of tremor are possible
• Slowness of movements (bradykinesia)
• Limb rigidity
• Gait and balance problems

Approximately 1 million Americans have some form or stage of Parkinson’s Disease. To put that in comparison, more people have Parkinson’s disease than Lou Gehrig’s disease plus multiple sclerosis plus muscular dystrophy. Worldwide, about 10 million people have Parkinson’s disease.

Nationally, there are about 60,000 new cases diagnosed in the US each year. Of those, only 4% are younger than 50-years of age. For reasons unknown, men are affected by Parkinson’s disease about 1.5 times more often than women.

Is Parkinson’s disease genetic? It is estimated that about 10% to 15% of all cases have a genetic link and these are referred to as monogenetic. The majority of cases 85% – 90% are classified as non-genetic, referred to as occasional.

The cost of treating Parkinson’s disease in the United States is estimated to run around $25 billion. Current treatments involve medications, which average about $2,500 per year or a therapeutic surgery which averages about $100,000.

Since almost everyone with Parkinson’s disease has slightly different symptoms from every other PD case, treatment isn’t exact. When looking to medications, they can vary from a levodopa preparation, to a dopamine agonist to an MAO inhibitor to an anticholinergic. Many of these either contain or are given with a form of dopamine since it has been determined that many cases of PD exhibit a lack of dopamine in the brain.

Some researchers have been testing medical marijuana as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. To date, the results are mixed with some reporting benefits and others reporting no help at all.

As for surgery, it is generally reserved for people who have exhausted all of the possible medications, and even then, it’s usually only effective for those who had a previous positive response on levodopa. There are two surgical options being used at present. One inserts a small tube into the small intestine and a gel formulation of carbidopa/levodopa. The other surgery involves what is called deep brain stimulation.

A news report from the University of the Basque Country offers a possible new treatment for Parkinson’s disease:

“Current therapies for Parkinson’s disease are mainly of a replacement type and pose problems in the long term, so the challenge is to establish an early diagnosis and develop neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapies that will allow the symptoms of the disease to be slowed down or even reversed. Researcher have now documented the regenerative, neuroprotective effect of two neurotrophic factors when they are applied in a combined way…”

“Specifically, two factors were applied: the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and the Glial Cell-derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF). These molecules were delivered encapsulated in microspheres or in nanospheres, even smaller than the former, comprising a biocompatible, biodegradable polymer: Poly Lactic-co-glycolic Acid (PLGA), which allows them to be released continuously and gradually. Furthermore, the factors were administered in a combined way to determine whether, together, they induced a synergistic effect.”

“The results were encouraging in both the early and severe phase of the model…”

People with Parkinson’s disease might do well to share this news with their doctor(s) and ask them to follow-up on the research in hopes that if it continues to yield positive results that the FDA will grant it their approval and make the process available here in the states.