Parkinson's Disease
(from the American Academy of Family Physicians)

What causes the tremor of Parkinson's disease?

People with Parkinson's disease have a progressive loss of function of the nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. Tremors occur as a result of damage to the nerve cells.

The tremor, or "shakiness," of Parkinson's disease gets worse when the person is at rest and better when the person moves. The tremor may affect one side of the body more than the other, and can affect the lower jaw, arms and legs. Handwriting may also look "shaky" and smaller than usual.

Other symptoms of Parkinson's disease include nightmares, depression, excess saliva, difficulty turning over in bed and buttoning clothes or cutting food, and problems with walking.

How is Parkinson's disease diagnosed?

No blood tests can detect Parkinson's disease. Some kinds of x-rays can help your doctor make sure nothing else is causing your symptoms. But x-rays can't show whether a person has Parkinson's disease. The symptoms mentioned above suggest to a doctor that a person might have Parkinson's disease.

If the symptoms go away or get better when the person takes a medicine called levodopa, it's fairly certain that the person has Parkinson's disease.

What causes Parkinson's disease?

Doctors don't know exactly what causes Parkinson's disease. Some medicines can cause or worsen symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Can medicines treat Parkinson's disease?

There is no cure for Parkinson's disease. However, medicines can help control the symptoms of the disease.

Some of the medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease include carbidopa-levodopa (brand name: Sinemet), bromocriptine (brand name: Parlodel), selegiline (brand name: Eldepryl), pramipexole (brand name: Mirapex), ropinirole (brand name: Requip), tolcapone (brand name: Tasmar) and pergolide (brand name: Permax). Your doctor will discuss with you which medicines might help you.

Where can I get more information about Parkinson's disease?

Information is available from the following organizations:

American Parkinson Disease Association, Inc. 1250 Hylan Blvd., Suite 4B
Staten Island, NY 10305
800-223-2732
http://www.adpa.parkinson.com

National Parkinson's Foundation
1501 N.W. 9th Ave., Bob Hope Road
Miami, FL 33136-1494
800-327-4545
http://www.parkinson.org

Parkinson's Disease Foundation
710 W. 168th St. New York, NY
10032
800-457-6676
http://www.pdf.org

United Parkinson's Foundation and International Tremor Foundation
833 W. Washington Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60607
312-733-1893

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