Progress Against Parkinson's

    Many well-known figures are publicly battling Parkinson's disease, including the Pope, Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox. Behind these famous faces, there are an estimated one million Americans who suffer from Parkinson's disease.

    While the cause is unknown and there is currently no cure, recent advancements in research have helped stabilize symptoms of the movement disorder and improved the quality of life for Parkinson's patients, according to Giselle Petzinger, MD, assistant professor of clinical neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

    There is a better appreciation for the role drugs in general play in treating Parkinson's patients, says Petzinger. It is not just a symptomatic benefit, but it does something to the disease course. There is also a lot of interest in trying to find new imaging techniques to follow the progress of the disease.

    Other areas of research include the role exercise plays in both a person's susceptibility to developing Parkinson's - since researchers believe exercise may be neuroprotective - and also the role it might play after a person is diagnosed, to slow the progression of the disease.

    Petzinger says the research community generally believes there is no one thing that will cure Parkinson's - it will likely be a multi-pronged approach including such things as a drug cocktail along with exercise. For this reason, she points out that it is important to support research on a variety of fronts, which will also help researchers better understand the disease itself.

    What is understood about Parkinson's is that it is triggered when the cells that produce dopamine in the brain malfunction - and because dopamine transports signals to the parts of the brain that control movement initiation and coordination, people with the disease have difficulty moving. Petzinger says a tremor is not necessary for diagnosis; a neurologist or Parkinson's specialist can recognize symptoms like slowness, stiffness or problems with balance as an indication of the disorder.

    The typical age range for diagnosis is 55-65 years, however people as young as 30 may have Parkinson's. Researchers believe the young-onset Parkinson's is connected to genetics.

    Parkinson's patients must take precautions to guard against the development of such conditions as pneumonia, injury from falls or infection. Petzinger says that difficulty swallowing, poor balance and a more sedentary lifestyle can contribute to these associated ailments.

    Since the introduction of medications, such as dopamine replacement, people are living longer with Parkinson's disease and have a much better quality of life, she says. The more active patients are, the better they do.

    Media Relations Representative USC Health Sciences Phone: (323) 442-2830 Pager: (213) 203-0485 shuoh@usc.edu