IndexSummaryParkinson's disease is an ever-evolving conditionThe meaning of the healthcare teamThe problemStakeholdersCurrent tests and treatments5-step disease plan: disease managementThe tasks of the healthcare teamThe tasks of the patientMy first Parkinson's patientThe solutionSummaryParkinson's disease is a life-threatening condition in which dopamine and acetylcholine are imbalanced in the body. This condition has many exacerbated consequences, including but not limited to acute akinetic crisis. It is estimated that approximately 7-10 million people are currently affected by this disease and that approximately 60,000 are newly diagnosed each year. With the rise of this pathological condition, many new studies have begun to identify the probability and risk factors associated with the disease. Two of the biggest contributors are biological sex and age. Studies have revealed that the average population age of a Parkinson's disease patient is between 65 and 85 years. This category, or what can be considered the “ideal patient” segment, makes up a huge portion of our population, and as the baby boomer generation ages, a sharp spike is likely to occur in the near future. Current patients do not receive ready access to their healthcare providers, resulting in tragedies and fatalities for some with Parkinson's disease. The key to improving, understanding and treating people with this disease is more directed and followed through patient-centered care. This treatment is ideal and can be broken down into a 5-step process to manage the disease. This process, if initiated, followed and initiated, can continue to ensure proper management of the disease. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Spiraling Condition of Parkinson's Parkinson's is a disease whose cause may contribute to the degeneration of neurotransmitters in the brain. The most commonly affected neurotransmitter is dopamine. As dopamine degenerates, the disease begins to worsen and progresses resulting in worsening signs and symptoms. These aggravated symptoms and manifestations occur as the disease causes more and more damage to the brain, impairing motor and cognitive functions. According to the Journal of Neuroscience and Neuropharmacological Medicine dopamine has some functions in the body including; improve the force of contraction of the heart, improve blood circulation to vital organs (e.g. kidneys, liver, brain), and act as a neurochemical transmitter of desire and reward. When dopamine levels decrease, abnormal brain activity occurs and, conversely, stimulates an increased release of acetylcholine, another neurochemical transmitter that is affected due to the disease. The production and maintenance of acetylcholine is very important in this disease as it plays a role in the functioning of the body; contractions of smooth muscles, dilation of blood vessels (which controls blood pressure in the veins and arteries), increased body secretions (saliva, hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and fluid that lubricates joints and the lining of other organs), and slow Heart . The pathophysiology of Parkinson's, due to decreased dopamine and acetylcholine imbalance, causes drastic manifestations of signs and symptoms that include "tremors, muscle rigidity, poor balance/coordination, difficulty speaking, fatigue, increased secretions... " (Non-motor signs and symptoms in Parkinson's disease). With Parkinson's, over time thesemanifestations that begin as a slight tremor in the hands or feelings of fatigue and tiredness progress and can become so advanced that they affect how people function on a daily basis. This alteration and progress alters the lives of all those involved in the disease. Examples of this granting of symptoms are; tightening of muscles that can cause loss of range of motion in the trunk and extremities that impede the ability to move and function without assistive devices, alterations to communication pathways in the brain, and reshaping of the way our facial muscles move to communicate, resulting in hindering social connections and limiting an individual's ability to express needs or desires to maintain essentials of life. What a Healthcare Team Means Healthcare is a team effort. What constitutes a healthcare team is everyone involved in the care, management and general aspects of care. This can be a physicist, a nurse, a speech pathologist, a certified nursing assistant, a home health worker, or a family member with the power to do so, and so on. Each team member is vital to the patient's treatment and success. If there is a weakness in one aspect of the team, it affects both the team and the patient. It is critical that as we currently care for patients or will care for patients in the future, we understand our role and the roles of each member of the healthcare team. Understanding and participating in this will improve the care of our patients and ultimately help achieve outcomes. The Problem Many Parkinson's patients have difficulty getting ready access to neurologists who specialize in their treatment regimen and the intended therapeutic goals of medications and treatments. Consequences generated by lack of access to healthcare teams include; failure to achieve therapeutic goals, increased symptoms of functional brain network degradation similar to that seen in HIV/AIDS, and a life-threatening consequence condition known as acute akinesia crisis. One risk factor that greatly increases the likelihood of acute akinetic seizure is when neurochemical transmitter dysfunction is not adequately managed by medications and/or alternative treatment options. According to the article Acute Akinesia or Akinetic Crisis in Parkinson's Disease, the acute crisis is characterized by worsening of motor and non-motor symptoms and failure to respond to medications and treatments. This means that an acute akinetic seizure is a highly amplified, incurable motor and cognitive defect that will progress and worsen. Another article Acute akinesia, an unusual complication in Parkinson's disease: a case report describing these features as "a sudden onset of a severe and prolonged hypertonic akinetic state with frequent cognitive and/or psychotic disturbances, dysphagia, dysphonia, and increases in body temperature and serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) values… and, in the most severe forms, leads to death”. These articles estimate that the annual incidence of acute akinetic crisis is approximately 0.3% and a mortality rate of 15% When we evaluate these numbers, we see that 0.3% out of 10 million reported corresponds to three million, and 15% out of three million corresponds to 450,000 deaths per year related to Parkinson's disease and its worsening akinetic crisis Acute Because Parkinson's has such a global and centralized presence in the United States, it is imperative that patients gain health-beneficial healthcare access by specifying it in the disease process. According to an article published by Parkinson's News Today,Parkinson's disease is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder, affecting approximately 3% of the population over the age of 65 and up to 5% of the population over the age of 85. An estimated 7-10 million people worldwide have the disease. The article goes on to reveal statistics on the number of diagnoses per year, which is approximately 60,000. The Parkinson Foundation has an estimated projection of the prevalence of individuals with the disease, broken down by state. Parkinson's disease does not discriminate, the disease process does not care what gender you claim, what religion you are a part of, or whether you are a good or bad person. It affects many of our loved ones, people we know and their loved ones. Risk factors in disease acquisition can be a combination and contributed to aging, genetics, environmental and immune status, and biological sex. Aging is one of the biggest contributing factors. The article Aging and Parkinson's disease: why is advancing age the main risk factor? discusses how age-related decline leads to the loss of neurons within this disease. It summarizes that as we age, our brain continues to build new pathways and our cells work hard for biological reasons and for our daily situations and tasks. This causes neurodegeneration of our vital cells due to aging and overwork. Just like our body, the use and abuse we subject it to has serious and permanent consequences. Another risk factor listed is biological sex. Biological sex is an important factor in the development of Parkinson's disease and has been widely discussed in recent decades. There are clear sex-related differences in the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the disease, and according to Parkinson's disease in women and men: What is the Difference? Parkinson's “affects men twice as often as women,” but “women have a higher mortality rate and faster disease progression.” With these two reports, we understand that the ideal patient or individual who has and is affected by Parkinson's and its acute crisis is probably someone who is usually male and over the age of 65. This category or what can be considered “the ideal patient” range of patients constitutes a huge portion of our population. Something all of us, regardless of profession, need to consider is who our loved ones are and whether they fit or will fit into this ideal range in the near future. According to the Pew Research Center, Baby Boomers, or all individuals between the ages of 55 and 75, have always had a presence out of proportion to the population size of other generations, reporting approximately 74.1 million Boomers in 2016. This great generation is aging and is likely to see Parkinson's disease and many other conditions have a large spike in the near future. For some of us this person could be a grandfather, an uncle, a father and people who have influence in and around our life. Current tests and treatments Some may examine, with such a life-threatening disease, how we can keep up with our times. care and treatment. Well, the answer is that it all starts with a diagnosis. There is currently no specific test to diagnose Parkinson's disease; however, providers are trained in nervous system disorders (neurologists) and will diagnose Parkinson's disease based on medical history, a review of signs and symptoms, and a neurological and physical exam. Further results can be obtained through a specific SPECT scansingle-photon emission computed tomography called a dopamine transporter (DAT) scan. According to the article The Impact of DaTscan on the Diagnosis and Management of Movement Disorders: A Retrospective Study “The imaging technique, DaTscan, can be used to visualize dopamine degeneration in the nigrostriatum…”. Parkinson's disease cannot be cured, but medications can help control symptoms, often dramatically. The Mayo Clinic presents a list of common medications that your doctor may prescribe for you, including: I“Carbidopa-levodopa: The most effective drug for Parkinson's disease is a natural chemical that passes into the brain and is converted into dopamine. 1Levodopa is combined with carbidopa (Lodosyn), which protects levodopa from converting early to dopamine outside the brain. This prevents or reduces side effects such as nausea. IDuopa is indicated for patients with more advanced Parkinson's who still respond to carbidopa-levodopa, but who have many fluctuations in response. Because Duopa is infused continuously, the blood levels of the two drugs remain constant. Dopamine agonists, which mimic the effects of dopamine in the brain. MAO B inhibitors: These drugs help prevent the degradation of brain dopamine by inhibiting the brain enzyme monoamine oxidase B. (MAOB). This enzyme metabolizes brain dopamine. Anticholinergics. These drugs have been used for many years to help control the tremor associated with Parkinson's disease. Amantadine. Doctors may prescribe amantadine alone to provide short-term relief of symptoms of mild, early-stage Parkinson's disease. It may also be given with carbidopa-levodopa therapy during the later stages of Parkinson's disease to control involuntary movements (dyskinesia) induced by carbidopa-levodopa. care and communication between the patient and members of the care team. The article Patient and Physician Perceptions of Disease Management in Parkinson's Disease: Results from a Multicenter Survey Conducted in the United States composes a vital five-step plan that must be shared among patients, individuals involved in the patient's care, and, in particular, doctors and healthcare workers. It is as follows; patient identification, diagnosis, choice of therapy, disease/drug information and patient monitoring. Where inconsistencies and breakdowns occur in this five-step process are usually in the last step, which is patient monitoring. Many patients do not have consistent and timely follow-up with their healthcare providers due to limitations, schedules, location, and demand of healthcare providers, resulting in many Parkinson's symptoms manifesting as worsening and altered functioning. status of patients and a long-term obstacle to their activities of daily living. Clinical care for patients with Parkinson's disease, as with many other diseases, is complex, there is a disconnect between patient and doctor perceptions and the reality of care. Unfortunately for patients and others involved in the lives and care of these patients, this has a large impact on their overall quality of life. Duties of the healthcare team Because of such a high rate of people affected by Parkinson's and their likelihood of subsequent worsening of conditions and manifestations, it is an ethical duty and a virtue that patients have access to reliable, rapid and necessary care . The article Beyond Patient-Centered Care: Person-Centered Care for Parkinson's Disease best states this virtue; “Care, comfort, compassion and consolation are.