An Overview
CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS OF PD

What it is?

Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system-influenced movement condition. Symptoms appear slowly and can begin with just one hand with a scarcely detectable tremor. Shaking is normal but is often followed by rigidity or slow motion.

In the initial stages of PD, your face will show little or no feelings. You really couldn’t swing your arms when you walk. Your language can softly or be slurred. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease deteriorate over time as the diagnosis evolves.

Though the condition of Parkinson’s cannot be healed, drugs will relieve your symptoms dramatically. Your doctor will sometimes propose surgery to regulate and enhance those brain areas.

No One Definitive Cause of PD

No biomarkers or target assessments are available that say you have Parkinson’s. However, medical specialists have shown that there is a growing correlation between a constellation of variables.

Parkinson’s disease is potentially caused by a combination of genetic and environmental effects. Around 10% of genetic causation is formed.” The inheritance pattern is dominantly inherited by a gene mutation in which you may receive one mutated gene from either parent or a combination of two. (in which each of your parents giving you a copy of a mutant gene)

Parkinson’s condition has been the topic of several trials but the clinicians aren’t exactly sure what the cause is. Although researchers recognise that trouble sometimes begins in a certain area of the brain, they do not know where precisely.

Though several studies have been conducted, doctors are still unaware of the precise cause of Parkinson’s disease. We now know that once you get the disorder, it happens with any of your brain cells.

Cells that produce the chemical dopamine begin to die in the substantia nigra, a region of the brain. Dopamine plays a vital role in the body. It functions as a messenger, reminding another part of your brain anytime you wish to shift a body part.

As the cells that produce dopamine begin to die, the dopamine level decreases. When it falls below a certain level, you lose control of your movements and develop Parkinson’s symptoms.
Nobody understands what causes certain cells to die. Scientists say it’s the product of the genes and climate communicating in an unfathomable manner.

Risk Factors of Parkinson’s Disease

Age: is an important factor. Aging is the most significant risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. The average age at which the disorder presents itself is 60 years old.

Gender: Parkinson’s disease is more likely to occur in men than women.

Genetics: Individuals with an infected parent or sister have a risk to experience Parkinson’s for nearly two years. In the last 10 to 15 years, there has been a large range of experimental data on evolution or new mutations that have made the diseases simpler.

Environmental Causes: Medical experts say environmental factors can contribute to activating Parkinson’s condition. Exposures to agricultural chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides were all involved and investigated for clarified connections with Vietnam-era exposure to the agent orange; as well as heavy metalworking with detergents and solvents. However, it is impossible, due to environmental exposures, that the majority of those who contract Parkinson’s disease do so.

Head trauma: Repeated blows to the head — imagine boxers like Muhammad Ali — raise one’s chances of having Parkinson’s disease, but we don’t know for sure if it affects the disease at this time. Not everybody who experiences head trauma develops Parkinson’s disease, and we can’t tell for sure if the nature, severity, or intensity of the injury raises your risk.

Genes: What Are Their Roles?

Your genes serve as an instruction manual for your body. If one of them changes, your body will respond in a different way. This may indicate a higher risk of contracting a certain illness.

Several genetic mutations will marginally increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease. In about 1 out of every 10 cases, they play a function.

It doesn’t mean you’ll have Parkinson’s whether you have one or more of these improvements. Some will, but many will not, for reasons that physicians do not understand. It may be related to the climate or other genes.

What Role Does the Environment Play?

It’s difficult to pin down the environment. That’s partly due to the fact that it occupies a lot of ground. It contains anything that isn’t in your genes, including where you live, what you consume, toxins you’ve been subjected to, and more.

Not only that, but the consequences of something in your environment take years to manifest. So far, experts have a lot of leads but no smoking gun. So you might have people living or work in an environment with chemicals linked to Parkinson’s, but all of them don’t get it.

According to a few studies, Parkinson’s disease is linked to:

  • Agent Orange was a pesticide used to burn trees and fields during the Vietnam War.
  • In agriculture, pesticides such as insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides are used.
  • Some metals and chemicals, such as manganese, lead, and trichloroethylene, are used in processing (TCE).

These may be affected by where you work, what you do for a living, or whether you have been in the military. These contaminants can also leach into well water, which is another way they can damage you.

It’s a complicated picture, but you might be more likely to develop Parkinson’s based on:

  • Age: Since it mostly impacts people aged 60 and over, the risk rises with age.
  • Family history: Whether a mom, brother, or sister has it, you’re a bit more likely to have it.
  • Employment: Some occupations, such as farming or factory work, will expose you to chemicals related to Parkinson’s disease.
  • Race: It is more prevalent in white people than in other races.
  • Serious head injury: If you hit your head hard enough that you lose consciousness or miss things, you might be more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease later in life.
  • Gender: Men get it more than women. Doctors are baffled as to why this is happening.
    Where you live. People in rural areas tend to get it more often, which may be linked to agricultural chemicals.

Our Take

Ayurveda has effectively clarified the cure for the disorder showing signs of Parkinson’s disease.
At Elite Ayurveda, you will get a custom-made expert-curated individual care package to help you live a healthy and happy life.
Meet our lead specialist, Dr. Adil Moulanchikkal, who has helped many people transition from disease to health.

Get more information on the disease and its Ayurvedic treatment here- COMPLETE AYURVEDIC TREATMENT FOR PARKINSON’S & RELATED DISORDERS

Related:

Parkinson’s disease: Treatment Options 

13 Early Signs of Kampavata ( Parkinson’s disease)