PARKINSON'S DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH

To the editor:

Are you having more difficulty getting out of your car? Do you have more trouble buttoning your shirt? Do you feel like your bed covers are weighing a ton? Every nine seconds someone is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

According to the National Parkinson Foundation, eight million baby boomers have turned 60. This makes them at risk for Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive neurological (brain) movement disorder that occurs when certain nerve cells in the substantia nigra part of the brain die or become impaired. These cells are responsible for producing a substance called Dopamine. Dopamine transmits signals to the body so a person will have smooth muscle movement and coordination with activities such as walking, writing and speaking. Symptoms first start to appear when about 80 percent of these nerve cells are lost.

There are 60,000 cases of Parkinson's diagnosed each year in America. The average age the symptoms are seen is 60 but can start in someone even as young as 30. Early signs of Parkinson's are subtle and can occur gradually. A person can be having more difficulty getting in and out of his car, getting up from a chair, taking longer to get dressed in the morning, have a feeling of stiffness, or not swinging one arm when walking. A pain in the arm or shoulder often occurs first from mild tremors and is diagnosed by a physician as tendonitis.

Many people think these signs are a natural part of the aging process. After a time a resting tremor may occur in one hand. Becoming unsteady or unusually slow when walking and having mask-like facial expressions (forced smiling) are other symptoms. Symptoms vary from person to person.

Diagnosis and treatment should be made by a neurologist who has special training in movement disorders at a movement disorders clinic. Unfortunately these symptoms may go undiagnosed by a regular physician for some time. If you notice any of these symptoms in yourself or a family member, speak to your physician regarding the possibility of this disease and ask for a referral to a movement disorders clinic.

- Charlene Chadwick Facilitator of Nantucket Parkinson's Disease Support Group