Parkinsons Disease

4 Pages 1023 Words

Parkinson’s Disease
1. Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive, chronic, debilitating disorder of the central nervous system that affects many people. Early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be as understated as an arm that doesn’t swing naturally when walking or slight tremors in the fingers on one hand. Another early symptom can be the occurrence of a low, mumbling verbal communication that may be testing to comprehend. One may experience a deficiency of energy, feel depressed, and have trouble sleeping. Some other symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremors, which can begin with a minor shaking in one finger that may later proliferate to the whole arm; muscle tautness in limbs and neck; shortage of automatic movements such as blinking and smiling. One may also experience sluggish motion, which may cause a slow, shuffling walk with an uneven way of walking and a bent posture. Several muscles may become immobilized. Functioning of the digestive tract may retard, bringing about problems with swallowing and digestion.
2. Sally Smith, a 63 year old woman from Long Island, went to the doctors because she was experiencing strange symptoms. She was a high school physical education teacher who was experiencing difficulties both in the classroom and at home. She felt her job was compromised by some unknown cause. What had always been easy for her to do was becoming harder. Her speech had deteriorated and it was difficult for her students to understand what she was saying. She was also experiencing muscle stiffness in her limbs. She had developed a stooped posture and an unsteady gait. As a result of these symptoms, her physician took down her medical history, which included a hysterectomy 5 years ago, observed her symptoms and completed a neurological examination including an evaluation of her coordination, completion of simple dexterity tasks and an evaluation of Sally’s walking. As a result of these tests and Sally’s past...