Is parkinson's related to other factors than hereditary?

giusto · Newbie Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 4

Hi, I am curious. A friend of mine, after some symptoms, went to see a doctor. Some tests were performed and he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and put on a medication therapy. I am also very worried for him. The thing is that his father also suffered from this condition. What I would like to know is next: is Parkinson's related to other factors than hereditary?

felicdad · Newbie Joined: 15 May 2006 Posts: 5

Hi, I think that it is great that you worry about your friend this much. I am sure that the treatment he is under will give the desired results. Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of a central nervous system. When occurs, it destroys nerve cells that produce dopamine. This is a substance that is responsible for transmitting messages from the brain to the muscles. There are several types of Parkinson's disease. This classification is based on its cause. In most of the cases the cause is unknown. This is an idiopathic condition. However, there are also cases in which the cause is known. It has been found that genetics play a part in it. It has been proven that appearance of this illness is more present with people that are closely related to people that have suffered from it. But this only happens in about five percent of the cases in which this condition is satisfied. Beside hereditary factor, there are two more that can lead to creation of Parkinson's disease. Toxins and head trauma are them. But as I said earlier, a great majority of people suffer from Parkinson's disease that has no known cause.

Is parkinson's related to other factors than hereditary?

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