Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is caused by the death of dopamine-generating cells in the brain. It is a progressive and incurable disease that leads to disability and lower quality of life and is the second most common neurologic disease after Alzheimer’s disease.

There is a lack of a reliable diagnostic test for Parkinson’s disease, which affects both the ability to diagnose early stages of the disease and establish an explicit prevalence rate. According to the World Health Organization, patients meet the clinical diagnosis for Parkinson’s disease when they exhibit two of the four cardinal features of the disease. These are:

• Bradykinesia, or slowness of movement;
• Rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk;
• Tremor of the hands, arms, legs, jaw and face;
• Postural instability or impaired balance and coordination.