Parkinson's Awareness Week
What Is Parkinson's?
Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. This means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time.
The number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's in the UK is about 145,000. That's around 1 adult in every 350.
There are lots of different treatments, therapies and support available to help manage the condition.
Researchers are working hard to develop new and better treatments - and one day a cure.
3 Things We Know About Parkinson's
Parkinson's develops when cells in the brain stop working properly and are lost over time. These brain cells produce a chemical called dopamine.
Symptoms start to appear when the brain can't make enough dopamine to control movement properly.
There are 3 main symptoms - tremor (shaking), slowness of movement and rigidity (muscle stiffness) - but there are many other symptoms too.
Treatments and Therapies
Drugs are the main treatment used when controlling Parkinson's symptoms. These types of treatments aim is to increase the level of dopamine that reaches the brain and stimulate the parts of the brain where dopamine work.
Therapies are also another way we can help people with Parkinson's manage their symptoms such as specialist advice and recommended exercise and treatments to keep active and healthy.
Not everyone will be suitable for DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) but Surgical Treatments are also available, mainly offered to those who's symptoms can't be controlled by medication.