DRG Category: 57

Mean LOS: 5.0 days

Description MEDICAL: Degenerative Nervous System Disorders without Major CC

classification section:



Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurological disorders that occurs in developed nations and affects approximately 1% of older adults beyond the seventh decade of life. It is a clinical condition characterized by gradual slowing of voluntary movement (bradykinesia); muscular rigidity; stooped posture; distinctive gait with short, accelerating steps; diminished facial expression; and resting tremor. The disease occurs with progressive parkinsonism in the absence of a toxic or known etiology and is a progressively degenerative disease of the substantia nigra and basal ganglia. PD is also called paralysis agitans.

PD is caused by a degeneration of the substantia nigra in the basal ganglia of the midbrain, which leads to depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA). DA is normally produced and stored in this location and promotes smooth, purposeful movements and modulation of motor function. Depletion of DA leads to impairment of the extrapyramidal tracts and consequent loss of movement coordination. Almost 80% of DA neurons are lost before the patient begins to have the motor signs of PD.

Complications include injuries from falls, skin breakdown from immobility, and urinary tract infections. Death is usually caused by aspiration pneumonia or other infection.