21st Century Parkinson's Disease (PD) Sourcebook: Clinical Data for Patients, Families, and Physicians - Symptoms, Staging, Drug Treatments, Deep Brain Stimulation, Caregiving, Supportive Therapies

This comprehensive ebook provides authoritative information and practical advice from the nation's health experts about Parkinson's Disease (PD). Starting with the basics, and advancing to detailed patient-oriented and physician-quality information, the 21st Century Sourcebook series gives empowered patients, families, caregivers, nurses, and physicians the information they need to understand Parkinson's Disease. There is extensive coverage of symptoms, diagnosis, medical testing, clinical research, drugs and potential treatments for specific symptoms, and much more.

Subjects and topics covered include PD symptoms, tremors, myoclonus, dementia, depression, falls and fall prevention, similar diseases, the parkin gene and genetics, prognosis, staging protocols, drug treatments, levodopa, donepezil, MAO-B inhibitors, COMT inhibitors, amantadine, anticholinergics, novel drug discoveries, surgery, deep brain stimulation (DBS), diet, exercise, complementary and supportive therapies, environmental factors and possible triggers, role of Agent Orange, biochemistry, cell biology, tai chi study, caregiving, psychosocial issues, research programs, PD organizations, clinical trials, and glossary.
Contents: Parkinson's Disease Background Material * Glossary * Parkinson's Disease Organizations * NINDS Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease Information * NINDS Parkinson's Disease Study News * National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Research on PD * NIH Senior Health PD Information * NIH Exploratory Trials in Parkinson's Disease (NET-PD) * Department of Veterans Affairs PD Material * Genetics Home Reference PD Information * Driving and Parkinson's Disease * Statin Drugs and Parkinson's Disease * NIH Parkinson's Disease Research Agenda * FDA and PD Drugs * Clinical Trials on Parkinson's Disease * Guide to Leading Medical Websites.

This edition includes our exclusive Guide to Leading Medical Websites with updated links to 81 of the best sites for medical information, which let you quickly check for updates from the government and the best commercial portals, news sites, reference/textbook/non-commercial portals, and health organizations.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. It was first described in 1817 by James Parkinson, a British physician who published a paper on what he called "the shaking palsy." In this paper, he set forth the major symptoms of the disease that would later bear his name.

Researchers believe that at least 500,000 people in the United States currently have PD, although some estimates are much higher. Society pays an enormous price for PD. The total cost to the nation is estimated to exceed $6 billion annually. The risk of PD increases with age, so analysts expect the financial and public health impact of this disease to increase as the population gets older.

Parkinson's disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. The four main symptoms are tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance. These symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen with time. As they become more pronounced, patients may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks. Not everyone with one or more of these symptoms has PD, as the symptoms sometimes appear in other diseases as well.