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Parkinson’s Dementia
Parkinson's Dementia results from a loss of nerve cells in the
brain that produce important chemicals. When these chemicals stop
working in the brain, so do the functions they help to control, such
as decision-making or memory.
Approximately 40% of people with Parkinson’s Disease will develop
Parkinson’s Dementia. For patients with Parkinson’s Disease who go
on to develop dementia, there is typically a time frame of ten to
fifteen years between the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and the
onset of dementia.
History of Parkinson’s Dementia
The symptoms and treatment of Parkinson's Disease were first
mentioned over 5,000 years ago in the Ayurveda (the Indian Vedic
system of holistic healthcare). The symptoms of Parkinson's disease
were also touched upon in 2,500 BC, in the first ancient Chinese
medical treatise entitled the Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen. In 1817,
when James Parkinson originally described the "shaking palsy," he
stated that Parkinson’s Dementia usually does not occur until the
later stages of the disease.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s Dementia
The symptoms of Parkinson’s Dementia vary greatly. Following are
some of the most common:
- Hallucinations
- Moodiness
- Slowed Thinking
- Easily Distracted
- Confusion
- Loss of short- and long-term memory
- Inflexibility
Risk Factors for Parkinson’s Dementia
- Parkinson’s patients who experience hallucinations and more
severe motor control problems are at risk for Parkinson’s
Dementia.
- Older men develop Parkinson’s Dementia almost twice as often
as women
- Being older than 70 years old when diagnosed with Parkinson’s
Disease
- Cardiovascular Problems
- History of Depression
Treatment Options For Parkinson’s Dementia
Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s
Dementia but research continues in many areas. There are limited
treatment options for managing the symptoms of the disease but since
medication use is still relatively new, there are not conclusive
studies available as yet. Treatment of Parkinson’s Dementia is
usually aimed at addressing the symptoms.
For
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