April 7, 1997. Copyright, 1997, Graphic News. All rights reserved

PARKINSONÕS DISEASE
By Lis Ribbans 

ParkinsonÕs Disease, a progressive neurological disorder that causes tremor, muscle rigidity, slowness of movement and impaired co-ordination, was first identified by British physician James Parkinson in 1817 but its cause and the cure are still unknown.

The disease, which is non-contagious, non-hereditary and affects men and women equally, is suffered by 120,000 people in the UK, more than 500,000 in the U.S., and around 4 million worldwide. It does not discriminate socially, economically or geographically, although it is naturally more prevalent in countries with an ageing population. One in 200 people over the age of 65, and one in 50 over the age of 80, suffer some of the symptoms. However, five per cent of patients who are diagnosed are under 40 years old, with rare cases being seen in adolescence.

U.S. researchers estimate that between 15 and 20 per cent of Parkinson patients will eventually develop dementia, or mental impairment, although this is less common in people who get the disease before the age of 60.

The symptoms of ParkinsonÕs Disease can be treated with drugs such as levodopa, or L-dopa, a chemical that partially mimics dopamine, the neurotransmitter missing from the brains of Parkinson patients; anticholinergic drugs which reduce early tremor and rigidity; and dopamine agonists Š strong drugs which reduce the symptoms but have side-effects. 

In some cases neurosurgery, in which patients have received transplantation of foetal brain tissue, has been successful. One in three patients at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver who were given foetal tissue transplants improved significantly, a third showed some improvement and a third had no apparent benefit.

At a more experimental level are toxins isolated from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which reduce the painful muscle spasms which may accompany ParkinsonÕs disease. Injection into the brain of living, cultured nerve cells which produce dopamine naturally has been demonstrated in animals but is still some way off as a form of human therapy.

The first World ParkinsonÕs Disease Day, sponsored by the World Health Organisation, will be marked on April 11 by support groups in more than 30 countries.

Sources: UK Parkinson's Disease Society and the U.S. National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke

EDS Š World Parkinson's Day is on April 11. It will be the first time there has been a world day to draw attention to this condition. The date was chosen to mark the birthday of James Parkinson, who discovered the disorder in 1817