Can Doctors Spot Parkinson’s Before Patients Show Symptoms?

In addition to earlier diagnosis, a new technique might enable doctors to fashion better treatment plans for early stage Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (SAA) looks for abnormal protein deposits in the brain which are linked to Parkinson’s disease. Because these proteins begin building up long before symptoms develop, this analysis could mean detection at much earlier stages. The SAA had a 95 percent accuracy rate. For some types of Parkinson’s disease, accuracy rates exceeded 96 percent. “Our results show that the assay classifies people with Parkinson’s disease with high sensitivity and specificity, provides information about molecular heterogeneity, and detects prodromal individuals before diagnosis,” the researchers concluded. “These findings suggest a crucial role for the α-synuclein SAA in therapeutic development, both to identify pathologically defined subgroups of people with Parkinson’s disease and to establish biomarker-defined at-risk cohorts.”

About Parkinson’s Disease

As is normally the case with chronic, serious illnesses, doctors suspect that a combination of environmental and genetic factors causes PD. As nerve cells deteriorate, patients experience motor skill difficulties, like trembling hands, stiffening muscles, and shuffling feet. Later, mental symptoms appear, mostly dementia. Since the early 2000s, the PD death rate has increased 63 percent. This stunning rise suggests that the disease may be more of an environmental issue. Researchers speculate that the aforementioned dying nerve cells affect the dopamine supply in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain that controls many neurological and motor skill functions. Currently PD has no cure. A few available medications, such as MAO-B inhibitors and dopamine agonists manage the symptoms, at least temporarily. As the disease advances, these drugs become less effective. Experimental surgery may reduce symptoms when drugs start failing, but once again, this surgery doesn’t cure PD; it just gives patients a little more time. Overall, PD’s most recognizable symptoms include tremors, bradykinesia (complete loss of muscle movement), rigidity, and shuffling/stooped gait. Non-motor symptoms, including autonomic dysfunction (dysautonomia), neuropsychiatric problems (mood, cognition, behavior or thought alterations), sensory (especially altered sense of smell), and sleep difficulties may be present as well. More severe symptoms such as dementia, psychosis, orthostasis, and serious falls occur later. Exercise reduces the risk of PD. Preliminary studies indicate that ibuprofen and similar drugs may stave off this disease as well.

Parkinson’s Disease and Environmental Toxins

Certain environmental toxins have greater negative health effects than others. Some of these toxins include:

• Pesticides/Herbicides: Multiple studies have connected the chemicals in pesticides and herbicides with Parkinson’s disease. These substances include rotenone and permethrin (common ingredients in mosquito-killing clothing or nets), DDT and other organochlorines, such as beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, paraquat and 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D).
• MPTP: In the 1980s, some intravenous drug users in California used synthetic heroin that had been contaminated with MPTP. They developed PD symptoms within days. 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine is also present in some pesticides.
• Agent Orange: This powerful defoliant, which contains the herbicide 2,4-D, was used extensively during the Vietnam War. Recently, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs added Parkinson’s disease to a list of conditions possibly associated with exposure to it.
• Manganese and Other Metals: High-dose manganese exposure, which is common in welding and related occupations, causes a form of Parkinsonism called manganism. Exposure to lead may also be associated with a greater risk of Parkinson’s.
• Solvents: Trichloroethylene, a commonly used solvent, is used in metal degreasing and dry cleaning, as well as paint thinners and detergents. Several studies demonstrate a link between long-term exposure to solvents and development of Parkinson’s.
• Organic Pollutants: PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were used in various industrial processes until they were banned in the 1970s. Researchers have found high concentrations of PCBs in the brains of people who had Parkinson’s.

On a related note, a prior head injury also increases the risk of PD. Like the disease itself, researchers aren’t sure why head injuries increase the risk of PD.

Compensation Available

Environmental laws that ban dangerous PD-causing chemicals is helpful, but they don’t compensate victims. Only an environmental litigator can do that. Compensation in a personal injury case usually begins with lost wages, medical bills, and other out-of-pocket economic losses. Victims need this compensation to pay not only medical bills, but also everyday bills. Victims also deserve compensation for emotional distress and other noneconomic losses. This money doesn’t change their medical status, but it does make the future a little brighter. Substantial punitive damages are often available as well. Jurors award these damages if there is clear and convincing evidence that the tortfeasor (negligent actor) intentionally disregarded a known risk. Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with a knowledgeable environmental litigation lawyer, contact Napoli Shkolnik. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start fighting for you.