I chose to write on Parkinson disease.
Symptoms:
The Symptoms of the disease are rigidity of muscles, tremor, slowness of movement and falls due to loss of postural balance. This is because of the dopaminergic neurons loss in the substantia nigra oars compacta which innervate the striatum. (Ronken and Schnarrenburg,2002)
There are also additional symptoms such as the loss of automatic/unconscious movements such as blinking, smiling or swinging of arms as well as speech changes and writing changes.
Diagnosis:
There is no specific test exist on diagnosing Parkinson’s disease. A neurologist will diagnose the disease based on a person’s medical history, a review of the signs and symptoms as well as a neurological and physical examination. A doctor may suggest a dopamine transporter scan (DAT) using single-photon emission computerized tomography SPECT scan. The scan only supports the suspicion of the disease but the person’s symptoms and neurologic examination are the ultimate thing things that determine a correct diagnosis. The doctor may also order lab tests such as blood tests to rule out other conditions causing the person’s symptoms. Other common scans that may be of help ruling out other disorders are imaging tests such as MRI, CT, ultrasound of the brain and PET scans.
In addition to the examination, a doctor may prescribe carbidopa-levodopa, a parkinson’s medication. A significant improvement using the medication will often confirm the Parkinson’s diagnosis. ("Parkinson's disease – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic", 2018)
History:
Parkinson’s disease was first medically described as a neurological syndrome by James Parkinson in 1817, though fragments of Parkinsonism can be found in earlier descriptions (Parkinson 1817).Examples written by Sylvius de la Boë of rest tremor, and Sauvages decribed festination (Sylvius de la Boë 1680; Sauvages 1768; Tyler 1992). Ancient Chinese sources also described Parkinson’s as well as traditional Indian texts from around 1000 BC (Zhang et al. 2006; Manyam 1990) in clinical picture:
Involuntary tremulous motion, with lessened muscular power, in parts not in action and even when supported; with a propensity to bend the trunk forward, and to pass from a walking to a running pace: the senses and intellects being uninjured.
Treatment:
Reflecting on therapeutic approaches from the early 19th century, Parkinson recommended venesection, specifically advocating bloodletting from the neck, followed by vesicatories to induce blistering and inflammation of the skin. Small pieces of cork were purposefully inserted into the blisters to cause a “sufficient quantity” of purulent discharge (Parkinson 1817). This is designed to divert blood and inflammatory pressure away from the brain and spinal cord, and therefore, decompress the medulla that Parkinson considered the seat of neurological dysfunction.
In the mid 20th century, dopamine was discovered to have links to parkinson’s disease. Hornykiewicz sent Birkmayer a supply of laboratory levodopa and injected it intravenously for the first time to Parkinsonian patients in 1961. Subsequent trials delivered oraly confirmed both short and long-term benefits and a double-blind placebo controlled trial followed (Barbeau 1969; Cotzias et al. 1969; Yahr et al. 1969).
Barbeau A. 1969. L-Dopa therapy in Parkinson's disease. Can Med Assoc J 101: 59–68.
Cotzias GC, Papavasiliou PS, Gellene R. 1969. Modification of parkinsonism: Chronic treatment with L-dopa. N Engl J Med 280: 337–345.
Manyam BV, Sánchez-Ramos JR. 1999. Traditional and complementary therapies in Parkinson's disease. Adv Neurol 80: 565–574.
Parkinson J. 1817. An essay on the shaking palsy. Whittingham and Rowland for Sherwood, Needly and Jones, London.
Ronken, E. and Schnarrenburg, G. (2002). Parkinson's disease. Amsterdam: IOS Press, p.17.
Sauvages de la Croix FB. 1763. Nosologia methodica Amstelodami: Sumptibus Fratrum de Tournes.
Sylvius de la Boë F. 1680. Opera Medica. Danielem Elsevirium et Abrahamum Wolfgang, Amsterdam.
Yahr MD, Duvoisin RC, Schear MJ. 1969. Treatment of parkinsonism with levodopa. Arch Neurol 21: 343–354.
Zhang Z-X, Dong Z-H, Román GC. 2006. Early descriptions of Parkinson's disease in ancient China. Arch Neurol 63: 782–784.
Parkinson's disease – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376062