Cause of Parkinson's

[laglag]

Before we find a cure, don't we first need to know what causes it??

[WinnieThePoo]

Sounds an obvious question - but the answer would be "not necessarily". It depends on your definition of a cure. I prefer to think in terms of "defeating Parkinsons". There are (at least) 2 key elements. 1) Stopping the progress/process which among other things damages key neurons. 2) Repairing the consequences of the damage done already to those neurons, either by repairing or replacing them. It is possible to identify some of what is going wrong, and find therapies that block or prevent that, without necessarily knowing what caused them to go wrong. It is also more than possible that there is no single answer. That Parkinsons , rather than being one disease which has many different manifestations in different patients, is actually many different conditions which have common features - such as damaging neurons that produce dopamine.

[laglag in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Good answer!

[AmyLindy in reply to WinnieThePoo]

I needed that!

[LindaP50 in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Good answer. I like usage of word "defeating" rather than stating "reversing." I have a hard time with the concept of "reversing" Parkinson's Disease.

Both Lyme Disease and Parkinson's Disease can destroy dopamine. However, as you mentioned neurons get damaged. My husband sees his Lyme doctor next week. I'm going to ask about the neurons a subject not broached during the last 3 years since diagnosed with Lyme. Hubby diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease last summer - after having a Dat Scan which showed loss of dopamine. Discussed with his neurologist well how do we know its still not just Lyme? Husband does not have any tremors but does have some of the other symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (which are also symptoms of Lyme) such as motor dysfunction, loss of energy.

I really like your answer. Gives me cause for questioning and reevaluating hubby's situation.

Thanks so much.

[WinnieThePoo in reply to LindaP50]

You're welcome. I don't know that much about Lyme disease, but I have read it can both mimic PD and possibly induce it . Quite often people have sub-clinical PD which is unmasked by a drug or something like Lymes disease. A Datscan which is interpreted as PD almost certainly means that your husband has PD, and maybe the Lymes disease has revealed it. As if it isn't bad enough having one chronic condition, without having to manage with 2!

Actually - to share, I have a 2nd chronic condition, improving at a glacial pace, which may well have unmasked my sub-clinical PD. At first I blamed Amlodipine for DIP (drug induced Parkinsons) and then blamed Amlodipine for unmasking my idiopathic PD because the symptoms started with a bang when I started taking Amlodipine. But around the same time, I had an ear infection, which led to Eustachian Tube DIsorder (my other chronic condition) and in response had a lot of systemic and topical antibiotics. Maybe they upset my microbiome enough to reveal the PD. Something triggered it back in autumn 2017.

[LindaP50 in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Yes Lyme Disease can morph into Parkinson's Disease - as both can affect dopamine levels. Who knows which one came first with my husband but at this point it really doesn't matter. We continue to treat the Lyme and Parkinson's. He is getting IV Glutathione shots which helps both. So far, his energy level increases with the shot treatment. Not sure what can help him with walking.

[Juliegrace in reply to LindaP50]

Many PWP do not have tremor. It is a misconception that it is the hallmark of PD.

[mckchart]

i blame two chemicalls phenol and formaldahide used in the process of high pressure laminate

[1066dpk in reply to mckchart]

i take it your reply was genuine. having P D myself and been a kitchen fitter for over 20 years, working with high pressure laminate most days

[mckchart in reply to 1066dpk]

yes i worked at Formica for 30 yr

[dpk1949 in reply to mckchart]

you would have been close up to the things you were manufacturing, that you think caused it.

with me i suppose i could not blame those. there again the dust i caused cutting it, would inhale. hope something maybe found in future. if its not to late for us. david

[mckchart in reply to dpk1949]

i already spoke to my union legal team and stated that if its proved in the future i opended the Can of Worms

[redread]

Both the question and the replies have merit. Late husband and daughter manifested almost identical symptoms but diagnosed with totally different disorders. Neurologist debated about husband's "Parkinson's Symptoms" but treated him with levadopa. Daughter was advised to take prednisone and later, methotrexate (chemo) for her diagnosis, Dermatomyositis (rare muscle/skin illness). So many neuro related disorders that one wonders, might they be related to "gut health," toxic food, environment, etc? Great questions but no definitive answers.

[LindaP50 in reply to redread]

Sorry for your loss. Was their diagnosis "clinical" or supported by tests such as a Dat Scan which can show loss of dopamine, etc.

[redread in reply to LindaP50]

I would have to review record to check what tests the neuros at Hopkins, Walter Reed and elsewhere ordered regarding the Parkinson's in addition to the brain xray. I do know that each doctor was careful to mention that there was no definitive test for Parkinson's (2010). They waffled a lot with my husband because he did not originally respond to levadopa. Then, after he did need it, the side effects were terrible.

With my daughter, yes they used a CK text to determine a diagnosis. I could never find that test in my husbands records to see if they considered any other diagnosis except Parkinson's. As mentioned earlier, my daughter's symptoms were eerily similar to my husband's but it took 14 years for doctors to discover what her illness is

[LindaP50 in reply to redread]

Top notch neuros! Wow - no definitive test for Parkinson's - not what I was told. Dat Scan radiologist diagnosed as Parkinson's disease - hmmmmmmm

[redread in reply to LindaP50]

Truly, the tests seemed standard. Checking off all the symptom boxes (masking of the facial movements, gait and movement, chewing and swallowing, muscle weakness, etc. Then try carbo levadopa. The attitude seemed to be, "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck". When my husband didn't seem to deteriorate quickly enough, they seemed less certain. But he suffered a reccurance of cancer that began to take precedence over the Parkinson's. If I had a do over, I would have asked about other muscle disorders and tried to make sure that his problem wasn't something different that required completely different meds. For instance, my 58 yr old daughter's problem was a very rare disorder that not many neurologists had ever treated, so they would not have jumped to that diagnosis. She takes prednisone for that problem and it helps with movement. I still wonder if my husband was misdiagnosed.

[redread in reply to redread]

Apologies here as I did forget to include relevant info. My husband did NOT have tremors, so his was considered "Nontypical Parkinson's". That can make a significant difference in the diagnosis.

[LindaP50 in reply to redread]

My husband has no tremors. Neurologist diagnosed him as having Parkinson's Disease. Previously it was diagnosed as "Parkinsonim."

[LindaP50 in reply to redread]

thanks so much for your reply. I'm going to question the neurologist.

[Beckey]

I would assume so.