• Age: although it is not exclusively a pathology in the elderly, patients who have it are usually over the age of 60.
• Family history
• Head injury
• Exposure to toxins, such as pesticides.
• Although the cause of this degenerative process is unknown, it is believed that the origin may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Depending on the individual, symptoms may differ.

• Tremor
• Bradykinesia (slow movement)
• Stiffness of the neck and limbs
• Abnormal gait and posture
• Hypophony (decrease in speech volume)
• Lack of facial expression
• Micrography (abnormally small writing)
• Sleep problems
• Loss of sense of smell
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Gastrointestinal problems

Although Parkinson’s disease has no cure, there are treatments that can improve symptoms.

Drug Treatment

Neuronal loss caused by Parkinson’s results in a significant decrease in dopamine (neurotransmitter) in the brain. Drug treatments focus on compensating for this decrease.

Treatment should always be individualized on a patient-by-patient basis and can be classified into three groups:

Dopamine precursors (levodopa in different formulations with different dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors, this is transformed into dopamine in the brain).

Dopaminergic receptor agonists.

Levodopa degradation enzyme inhibitors (MAO inhibitors and COMT inhibitors).

Surgical treatment

Deep brain stimulation, indicated when the response to drug treatment is unstable.