Parkinson Disease affecting a friend

1. Parkinson Disease
A dear friend and golf partner
This essay is about a 68-year-old friend and golf
partner who began to experience Parkinson's
symptoms some time ago. The first thing he felt
was the difficulty of initiating certain movements
and then the involuntary movements of the right
hand began.

2. This friend, a great person and an enthusiastic
golfer, has seen his skills diminish and although
he is currently undergoing treatment (since the
disease was detected early), he knows that the
advance of Parkinson's is inevitable, since it is
only a palliative treatment (based on Carbidopa-
levodopa. Levodopa, the most effective drug
against Parkinson's disease, is a natural chemical
that enters the brain and is converted to
dopamine).
Levodopa is combined with carbidopa
(Lodosyn), which prevents the premature
conversion of levodopa to dopamine outside the
brain. This prevents or decreases side effects,
such as nausea.
Side effects can include nausea or
lightheadedness (orthostatic hypotension).

3. Causes and prognosis
In this case, it is the
neurons related to motor
activity.
This disorder affects
certain groups of neurons
in our brain (brain nerve
cells). Those that explain the symptoms of the
disease are dopaminergic neurons, which are
found in the brain stem, in a region known as the
substantia nigra. These brain cells are cells that
produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that
modulates the basal ganglia system that controls
movement. Without adequate levels of this
substance, tremor, stiffness and slowness
appear, which are quite common in this disease.
But the brain does not give up, and compensates
for the lack of dopamine with compensatory
mechanisms that increase the production of DA
in the surviving neurons, in addition to creating

4. more connections between them. In initial
phases, this brain response works, producing
mild effects that are barely perceptible by the
person and their social environment.
But as neurodegeneration increases and with it
the development of the disease, this mechanism
fails. That is, the fewer neurons that produce
dopamine, the greater visible effects in those
affected by PD. And, if not treated correctly, this
deterioration can follow an exponential curve.
As a consequence of this destruction, the affected
persons present tremor, generalized rigidity and

5. poor mobility (bradykinesia). The progression of
the disease leads to a situation of progressive
disability of the patient, with difficulty in walking
and difficulty in language, being able to add
mental deterioration in the final stages of the
disease. It usually affects people over 60 years of
age. About 1 in 100 people over the age of 60
have this disease.
Finally, it has been observed, in people who died
from Parkinson's, that alphasinuclein survives
the disease. This protein could be among the
causes that lead to neurodegeneration; It also
affects other regions of the brain, which would
explain the non-motor or cognitive symptoms of
the disease. At present, and according to recent
studies, it is possible that this protein, once
altered, spreads the disease through the different
brain regions.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive
disease of unknown cause.

6. What I have learned
As a result of the study carried out in this course,
it has allowed me to understand that each action
we perform (voluntarily or involuntarily),
feelings, illnesses and finally, how we interact
with other beings, has a correlate in our
neurobiological system. And in passing,
understand my own body and mind. Without
neglecting that we are beings of the same
species, but different.
On the other hand, to understand the great
capacity that our organism has to fight against
diseases, its resilience and almost always show
us its signs in a timely manner.
It has also convinced me
that we can be proactive
in avoiding many
diseases, which are, many
times, the result of bad

7. habits in life (eating, behavioral, etc.).
In this way, I believe that I will be able to help
many people who are currently affected by
various health conditions and who can better
cope with them.