What is Parkinson's Disease? Symptoms explained after Ozzy Osbourne's death
What is Parkinson's Disease? Symptoms explained after Ozzy Osbourne's death
Ozzy Osbourne died on Tuesday after living with Parkinson's disease for almost six years.
News of his death was announced by his family.
A statement read: 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.
The Black Sabbath singer was diagnosed with the disease in 2019 and spent the last 12 months in 'constant' pain.
Nevertheless, Osbourne teamed up with his bandmates one final time for a special concert at Villa Park earlier this month and it was later revealed that the performance raised $190 million for charity.
ADVERTISEMENT
The epic 'Back to the Beginning' concert at Villa Park in Birmingham saw the singer reunite with his band Black Sabbath to headline a bill that also featured Metallica, Guns N' Roses and a cavalcade of other heavy metal superstars.
It was announced before the event, which was live streamed around the world to an audience of 5.8 million, that proceeds would be split between Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice.
But what is Parkinson's disease, what are the symptoms and can it be treated?
What is Parkinson's disease?
Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain that create the chemical dopamine.
What are the symptoms?
Ozzy Osbourne passed away on Tuesday, July 22 (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
People begin to develop symptoms of Parkinson's when the brain is no longer able to make enough dopamine to adequately control movement.
ADVERTISEMENT
The three main symptoms are tremor (shaking), slowness of movement and rigidity (muscle stiffness).
Subtle changes in a person's walking pattern could be an early sign of Parkinson's disease.
Some people develop very small handwriting, a loss in their sense of smell, nerve pain or insomnia.
Symptoms usually develop slowly over several years.
Can it be treated?
There is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease.
Treatments include drugs such as levodopa, dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors.
Levodopa is absorbed by the nerve cells in the brain and turned into dopamine.
Increasing the levels of dopamine in this way usually cuts down problems with movement.
Other therapies include physiotherapy and, in some cases, surgery.
What does Parkinson's UK say?
Chief executive Caroline Rassell said: 'News of Ozzy Osbourne's death, so soon after his celebratory homecoming show, will come as a shock to so many.
ADVERTISEMENT
'By speaking openly about both his diagnosis and life with Parkinson's, Ozzy and all his family helped so many families in the same situation.
'They normalised tough conversations and made others feel less alone with a condition that's on the rise and affecting more people every day.
'All of our heartfelt thoughts are with his family, friends and fans worldwide. His memory and the impact he left on the world will live on in all of them.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How much do nurses actually earn?
Nurses are threatening to go on strike after rejecting the government's pay offer. Nurses are threatening to join their resident doctor colleagues in taking strike action after rejecting a pay offer from the government. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned its members will be balloted on industrial action if the government fails to improve the proposed 3.6% pay increase for 2025/26 in England. The RCN represents hundreds of thousands of nurses across the NHS in England. According to the union, 91% of members voted to reject the pay award on a 56% turnout, with more than 170,000 staff taking part. It warned the profession faces widespread vacancies, stunted career progression and years of pay erosion, and it urged ministers to use the summer to agree an investment plan or face a formal escalation to a dispute and a ballot on industrial action. Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the RCN, said nurses feel "deeply undervalued". Nurses in Wales and Northern Ireland were consulted on the same pay award and voted to reject it, according to the RCN. The RCN warning over a potential ballot for industrial action follows a five-day walkout by resident doctors in England. Resident doctors, represented by the British Medical Association (BMA), walked out after they rejected an average pay rise of 5.4%, the highest offered to any public sector worker. The BMA has said it will not move on its demands for restoring pay to its historic levels, which they say has been eroded for more than a decade. The RCN is making similar arguments. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "After receiving two above-inflation pay rises from this government, new full-time nurses will earn £30,000 in basic pay for the first time this year, so it's disappointing that RCN members are dissatisfied with this year's pay rise." How much do nurses earn? Currently, a first-year nurse accepting a new NHS role can expect to earn £29,970 per year on a band five wage, according to figures from NHS Employers. The RCN claimed in July that a nurse's starting salary is £8,000 lower per year than if wage growth had kept up with inflation since 2010. The government has noted that if their pay offer is accepted, it will mean a new nurse will start at a wage above £30,000 a year, but currently it sits below that. Nurses working in London are also usually offered higher pay to reflect the higher cost of living, and this can be in the region of an extra £6,000 a year. Nurses can then progress to £36,483 per year after four years' experience. In per hour terms, a nurse starts at £15.33 per hour before rising to £18.66 per hour. The minimum wage is currently £12.21. This will keep them in band five, and the RCN has noted many nurses stay at this level for decades. The British Medical Journal said in 2022 that 43% of nurses were on a band five salary. They say progressing up to band six often sees them accepting a role that doesn't routinely deal with patients. According to the NHS, these roles often involve jobs like estates officer or health records manager. Other medical professionals, like midwives and paramedics, automatically progress onto band six after they've gained a certain amount of experience, but nurses do not. In order for nurses to progress, they will need to take on more responsibility, like taking up a leadership role. An NHS employee on a band six wage can earn between £37,338 and £44,962. Nurses can eventually progress all the way up to very senior roles within their hospital or wider healthcare trusts. The top roles, like chief nursing officer, can be paid up to £111,740 on a band nine salary, but there is often only a handful of these roles across an entire healthcare trust.
New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Major Study on Transgender Youth Health Care to Begin in U.K.
A major study of the health of transgender and gender nonconforming young people is set to begin later this year in Britain, King's College London announced on Thursday. Researchers plan to track the mental and physical well-being of up to 3,000 children and teenagers who have a gender identity that differs from their sex at birth, and who have sought treatment from the country's National Health Service. They will carry out annual surveys that look at their quality of life, body image and gender identity. The study is part of a wider 10.7 million pound, or about $14 million, initiative from King's College that aims to find out how Britain's health service can best support trans and gender nonconforming children and young people. It is funded by the N.H.S. and by the government's clinical research agency. Last year, puberty-blocking drugs were banned in Britain for children under the age of 18, except in clinical trials, following the publication of a landmark review released by Dr. Hilary Cass, an independent British pediatrician. Dr. Cass argued that there was an urgent need for more robust research into youth gender treatments, saying: 'The reality is that we have no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress.' The new study will track young people's physical, social and emotional well-being, and the care they receive over time, the researchers said. Participation in the study will be voluntary and it will be observational in nature, meaning researchers will not alter any treatments the children are receiving. The researchers will survey the individuals and their parents or caretakers over several years without providing additional interventions. 'What is clear from the current evidence as highlighted is there's no single story or experience that defines these young people,' Dr. Michael Absoud, a chief investigator on the study who specializes in pediatric neuroscience, said. 'This study is about listening to them — understanding their stories and their journeys and building a robust evidence base that reflects that diversity,' he added. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Musk's Neuralink to test brain chips in clinical study in Great Britain
(Reuters) - Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink said on Thursday it will launch a clinical study in Great Britain to test how its chips can enable patients with severe paralysis to control digital and physical tools with their thoughts. The company is partnering with the University College London Hospitals trust and Newcastle Hospitals to conduct the study, it said in a post on X. Neuralink said patients living with paralysis due to conditions such as spinal cord injury and a nervous system disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) qualify to participate in the study. The company raised $650 million in its latest funding round last month. It began human trials in 2024 on its brain implant after resolving safety concerns flagged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which had initially rejected Neuralink's application in 2022. According to the company, five patients with severe paralysis are currently using its device to control digital and physical tools with their thoughts. Neuralink, founded in 2016, has raised about $1.3 billion from investors and is valued at roughly $9 billion, according to media reports, citing PitchBook.
