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“the clinical diagnostic accuracy for early-stage parkinson’s disease has been quite poor, only around 50 to 70 per cent,” said dr. thomas beach, a co-investigator of the study at iowa state university, according to new atlas . “and since clinical trials really need to be done at an early stage to avoid further brain damage, they have been critically hampered because they have been including large percentages of people who may not actually have the disease.”
parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that occurs when clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, controlling the body’s movement, die or malfunction, resulting in a decrease in the production of dopamine. scientists are unsure exactly what causes these cells to die, but their destruction leads to motor control issues that can have a devastating effect on sufferers. the disease also damages nerve endings that produce norepinephrine — a messenger in the nervous system — likely accounting for non-motor symptoms such as fatigue, a decrease in blood pressure and digestive issues.
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with more than 100,000 canadians living with parkinson’s today, and roughly 6,600 new diagnoses every year, it’s hard to overstate the benefits of early detection. typically diagnosed around the age of 65 when symptoms become undeniable, the associated costs of managing the progressive disease is more than $1.2 billion in canada. monthly medications alone cost the typical canadian patient more than $1,000 per month.
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if you or someone you care about is living with parkinson’s disease, connecting with a support network can help to not only learn ways to better manage their health, but also share experiences with others. some canadian resources include the parkinson canada, parkinson’s resource centre and in the u.s., the michael j. fox foundation for parkinson’s research.
