Clinical Update Parkinson Disease Assignment 2022

Assignment title: Clinical Update: Parkinson’s Disease
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Table of Contents
Clinical Update: Parkinson’s Disease......................................................................1
Introduction..............................................................................................................1
Discussion................................................................................................................1
Aetiology and Pathogenesis.................................................................................1
Causes and Risk factors...................................................................................1
Pathology: Anatomical Progression.................................................................3
Complications and Public Health Implications................................................4
Clinical Manifestations........................................................................................5
Diagnostic Process...............................................................................................6
Treatment.............................................................................................................7
Pharmacological Implications..........................................................................7
Non-Pharmacological Treatement...................................................................8
Health Promotion.............................................................................................8
Conclusion...............................................................................................................9
References..............................................................................................................10

Clinical Update: Parkinson’s Disease
Introduction
Parkinson’s disease is progressive neurological condition associated with impairments
in the motor movements across individuals (Cookson, 2017). In Australia, Parkinson’s
disease is regarded as one of the most common neurological disorders associated with
impaired movement with approximately 81, 000 to 111, 000 Australians living with the
condition in the nation. It has been further estimated that with increasing rates of ageing in
Australia, the prevalence rate of individuals with the condition is likely to increase by 4%
within the next 2 decades (Parkinson's Australia, 2019). The Australian Bureau of Statistics
(ABS, 2019) further denote that Parkinson’s disease contributed to almost 20.2% of deaths
across the elderly in the year 2012, which calls for the need to evaluate and implement
essential components of preventive and therapeutic interventions to ensure health and
wellbeing.
The following paper will demonstrate on the key clinical updates and insights relevant
to the neurological condition of Parkinson’s disease, that its pathology, anatomical
progression, clinical manifestations, public health implications, diagnostic processes and
treatment interventions.
Discussion
Aetiology and Pathogenesis
Causes and Risk factors
Parkinson’s disease is associated with a gradual damage and atrophy of cerebral
neurons, which further results in a reduction in dopamine – an essential neurotransmitter
responsible for transmission of neuronal messages and impulses across the nerve cells
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(Tysnes & Storstein, 2017). When dopamine decreases, the transmission of nerve impulses
associated with motor movements decreases hence resulting in the characteristic tremors and
delayed dexterity in Parkinson’s disease. The reasons for such neuronal damage is relatively
unknown (Ascherio & Schwarzschild, 2016). However, the following environmental and
genetic factors have been implicated to be plausible causes of Parkinson’s.
Family history and genetics: An individual with a family history of the condition, is
suscpetible of developing the same in later life. Additionally, Parkinson’s has also been
considered to be caused to the presence of specific genes. It has been evidenced that an
individual with parents having the PRKN, PINK1 and PARK7 genes, is likely to inherit the
condition in an autosomal recessive manner. Mutations in genes like the PARK7, LRRK2,
PRKN, PINK1 and SNCA genes have been implicated to cause Parkinson’s disease (Lill,
2016). In criticism however, it has been evidenced by Pickrell and Youle (2015), that
mutations may not be inherited.
Environmental causes: A risk of Parkinson’s disease has been evidenced to be linked to
high exposure to toxins prevalent in pesticides and herbicides (Bellou, Belbasis, Tzoulaki,
Evangelou & Ioannidis, 2016). In criticism however, as evidenced by Delamarre and
Meissner (2017), the possibilities of such environmental causative links have been evidenced
to be rare.
An individual is likely to suffer from Parkinson’s disease is he or she is in possession of
the following risk factors:
Old age: Elderly individuals, belonging to the age group of 65 or above, are at
increased risk of acquiring the condition. This is due to the fact that ageing is associated with
increased inflammation and wear and tear associated loss of neuronal structure and nervous
system functioning (DeMaagd & Philip, 2015).
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