San Diego Clinical Trials

Parkinson's Disease

The most common cause of Parkinson's disease is the degeneration of the dopamine producing cells in the brainstem. The cause of this degeneration is unknown in the majority cases, however, hereditary cases are teaching us that certain abnormal genes and their protein products can lead to cell stress and death. The patient with Parkinson's disease will often complain of poor balance, shaking and difficulty with writing, buttoning or using utensils. Family members will notice how slow they walk, the lack of expression on their faces and, of course, the tremor.

Diagnosis for Parkinson's Disease

There are not currently any approved tests that are widely used to diagnose those who are currently suffering from Parkinson's disease. Beyond this, it is problematic as the symptoms that are generally associated with this disease can also be associated with other disorders. For medical professionals who are currently working to diagnose a patient, there is typically a two-pronged attack. This includes evaluating a medical history and a family's background - genetics can play a large role in Parkinson's disease - as well as utilizing a neurological exam to evaluate coordination and other aspects.

If a patient is currently struggling with several symptoms pertaining to the disease, such as slow motion and trembling, has symptoms that are only attacking a single side of the body and has significantly more noticeable trembling when resting, a diagnosis is extremely likely. It is also not unlikely that those who are dealing with symptoms will be prescribed with the Parkinson's drug, levodopa, to see if this helps alleviate any of the symptoms.

Parkinson's: Treatment and Medication

The treatment of Parkinson’s is at this point restricted to helping the symptoms. Medications are the first line of therapy, with levodopa and dopamine agonists as the most commonly prescribed drugs. Implantable brain stimulators for patients with intolerable side effects to the medications can be used. Parkinson’s disease however is among the neurodegenerative diseases. No treatment can reverse the underlying pathology of the dying dopamine cells. 

Participate in a Parkinson's Clinical Trial

At Coordinated Clinical Research, we are currently conducting important studies and we need participants to partner in our efforts to bring better treatments for Parkinson's disease. We are looking for participants throughout San Diego, California and would like you to consider signing up to forward medical research for this disease.

Call us or click here to sign up for our San Diego Parkinson's disease clinical trial.