Drugs/Therapy

How A Simple Blood Test Can Determine Parkinson’s Disease

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Feb 10, 2017 08:00 AM EST

Studies on Parkinson's disease, its diagnosis, and treatment, are now suggesting that a simple blood test can help in determining Parkinson's disease. At present, a spinal fluid test is being used to determine whether a patient has symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Daily Mail UK posts that experts at the Lund University in Sweden has recently discovered a protein located in the blood that can help determine if a patient has Parkinson's disease. The disease causes tremors, slow movements, and muscle rigidity and is currently affecting around 127,000 people in the United Kingdom.

Apparently, there is still no cure and a method or drug that can help the progression of Parkinson's disease. However, experts believe that nerve cells damage that is produced by Parkinson's begins long before the first symptoms of the disease appear. Early detection of the disease my help in slowing down the symptoms.

The study was led by Dr. Oscar Hansson and was published in the Neurology Medical Journal. Concentrations of the nerve protein in the blood help in determining the occurrence of the disease. These concentrations are as accurate as the tests conducted using the same protein located at the spinal fluid.

Science Daily meanwhile reveals that a new mechanism behind Parkinson's disease can possibly help in the future treatment of the disease. The cause of the disease is still unknown and has still no effective treatment. Yet, a new study conducted at the University of Bergen may help in closely understanding the mechanism that triggers the disease and then later targets these triggers for therapy.

The brain cells in a healthy person help in compensating the damage that is produced in the DNA. If this protective mechanism is weakened, healthy activities in the mitochondria, the cells power house are lost. These recent process of determining the risks and symptoms of Parkinson's disease can further help in the possible medical breakthroughs that may help in understanding the disease and hopefully developing a cure for the disease.

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