Progressive Supranuclear Palsy is defined as a movement disorder that is the result of nerve cells in the brain that have been damaged. The most obvious sign of the disorder is a qualm with being able to properly aim your eyes, this normally occurs because of specific lesions in the area of the brain that exist due to the disorder. Progressive Supranuclear palsy affects the main area that deals with eye movements, therefore making this the most opportune place for the condition to strike first. A lot of individuals that suffer with the condition describe experiencing excessive blurriness. Other changes that occur when an individual is stricken with this debilitating condition are alterations in the individual’s behavior or mood, depression, and dementia. Of course, different people will react differently to the disorder based on the genetic makeup of their bodies.

This disorders name actually indicates that this disease will begin affecting your body in a slow manner, and quickly progress to something that is a lot more severe. You can define the disease and the way that it progresses by evaluating the name of the disease. The word part progressive, by definition means to get worse. Thus, already stating that this disorder can become progressively worse overtime, palsy is another phrase that means weakness and supranuclear is a term that has to deal with controlled eye movements. This disorder is not as prominent as Parkinson’s disease, but it does affect one out of every 100,000 people that are presently over the age of 60 years. Generally the patients that obtain this condition are either middle aged or elderly. Men are also more prone to be affected by the disorder in opposition to women.

Doctors are finding that being able to properly diagnose Progressive Supranuclear palsy is actually extremely difficult to do. The symptoms of the disorder bear close similarities other debilitating conditions, and in most people it can take an excessively long period of time before they develop all of the symptoms of the condition. However, on the other hand there are some people that never develop all of the symptoms of the condition, but still have it. This condition can strike at any moment for people that are middle aged or elderly. The disorder is caused by a deterioration of the brain cells. Inadvertently, there is no real reason why someone would experience this progressively debilitating disorder, however at this present time there are no effective treatments for the disorder either.

A lot of people after receiving the news that they have this particular disorder opt to obtain some type of critical illness coverage in order to assist them from a financial aspect, while they battle this disorder. Life assurance is another thing that many people opt to obtain after being diagnosed with a debilitating condition. However, there are skeptics that claim that people are going about obtaining life assurance coverage all wrong. When you have a medical condition, your premiums will typically be higher than if you did not. However, for most people the only thing that they are fixated on is being able to help their families if something adverse were to happen to them.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare brain disorder which results in serious and permanent problems with control of gait and balance. Lesions in the area of the brain which deals with eye movements causes a disability in the patients where they are not able to focus their eyes properly resulting in a blurred vision. Other symptoms include mood swings, behavioral changes and in some instances, mild dementia as the disease progresses.

PSP affect one in every 100,000 people over the age of sixty. It is usually seen in middle aged and elderly persons. For some reason, PSP affects men more than women. Diagnosis is difficult because there are no definite symptoms associated with the disease and most of the signs are the same as other movement disorders. Stiffness and unexplained falls are the initial signals while many individuals may experience awkwardness in gait. Irritability, forgetfulness and loss of interest in ordinary pleasurable activities are some of the other symptoms. As the condition progresses there might be a slur in speech and the patients may find it difficult to maintain eye contact during conversations. In some rare cases, trembling of hands can be observed.

The primary cause is the degeneration of brain cells in the brain stem, at the base of the brain. The reasons for cell degeneration are not yet known. While genetic causes are ruled out, it is believed that infections from some unconventional virus-like agents can be a possible cause. Cellular damage caused by free radicals is another theory that is gaining support.

While the name itself suggests that it is a progressively degenerative disease, PSP by itself is not fatal. It does predispose the individuals to serious conditions like pneumonia and choking due to difficulty in swallowing solids. Head injury and fractures due to falls are also common.

There is no treatment available for PSP. Some drugs used to treat Parkinson’s syndrome like levodopa may give a little relief to overcome problems of stiffness and imbalance.

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