Trish-- here's the answer from Peter's neuro:
Question:
A friend who has PD says her doctor told her that PD
and hypoglycemia are "both caused by a virus". I
thought the cause of PD was unknown....except for
the cases resulting from the 1918 flu epidemic. Can
the doctor be right? or is he thinking of the 1918
cases only? I don`t know if the doctor is a
neurologist. Any comments?
Answer:
The cause for PD remains unknown. Postencephalitic
parkinsonism is indeed due to a virus as you have
indicated. However, the brain pathology in such
patients does not resemble that seen in PD, so they
are distinct entities. MPTP, a contaminant of illicit
drugs also produced an epidemic of parkinsonism.
This again is a distinct entity but suggests the
possibility of toxins as a cause. Paraquat, a pesticide,
has a chemical structure resembling MPTP. There
also is some indication that PD may be more common
in rural areas, perhaps related to pesticide exposure.
All these however are speculations and there is no
definitive evidence for any of these agents as specific
causative factors for Parkinson`s disease.
For more information:
Arif Dalvi, M.D. Assistant Professor , Department of Neurology
College of Medicine , University of Cincinnati
*******
This "NetWellness"site run by the U. of Cincinnati Med School is very
useful--one can "Ask an Expert" about a long list of diseases. I have
mentioned it before, and here's the URL again. Maybe Janet would like to
link to it?
http://www.netwellness.org/expert/expert_frame.htm
Ask an Expert | What's Hot | Health Topics | In the News
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Trish--
You might want to share this with the osteopath who misinformed you!
You could go to the website and ask about hypoglycemia, too .
Camilla Flintermann, <[log in to unmask]>
http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/camilla/one.htm My Home Page
" Knowing when to insist, and when to let be,
is,perhaps, a lifetime learning experience ."
--Mary McCurry
