• Question: What is Parkinson's disease?

    Asked by anon-266958 to Guy on 10 Nov 2020. This question was also asked by anon-266967, anon-266984, anon-266969.
    • Photo: Guy Yona

      Guy Yona answered on 10 Nov 2020:


      Parkinson’s disease is a brain condition that involves stiffness, difficulty to move, and a distinct “shaking” of the hands and legs. It occurs mostly in elderly people over 60, and very rarely in younger people. The disease is caused by a low amount of a chemical called “dopamine” in specific regions of the brain, and this is what drives the symptoms. It progresses slowly over many years (by this, we mean that there is less and less dopamine in that region, so the symptoms worsen), and there is still no cure that can stop or reverse this process – but there are some drugs in trials, and scientists are optimistic!
      There are, however, some effective drugs to reduces the symptoms of the disease, so people with Parkinson’s can have good life quality in the first years after the disease is diagnosed.

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