Progressive disorder

Nerve damage

Parkinson’s disease, affecting one per cent of the population, is diagnosed in younger people now, says Dr Harirama Acharya

 One of the major threats of ageing is Parkinson’s disease, a neurological condition that only worsens with time. Around one per cent of the country’s population is estimated to be afflicted with this disease and of late, the condition has been diagnosed in younger people as well.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder affecting the nerve cells in the brain that control movements. As a result, the nerve cells or neurons do not make dopamine, a chemical that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination. Parkinson’s patients have difficulty in carrying out movements at a normal speed. Hence, they take longer to perform even normal day-to-day activities. It is found mainly in people over the age of 60 years and prevails in both the sexes. As the disease progresses, the amount of dopamine produced in the brain decreases, giving rise to unstable movements.

Symptoms

* Tremor (shaking) is common symptom that mainly affects the fingers, thumbs, hands and arms, but can affect other parts of the body too. It is most noticeable when one is resting. It becomes worse when one is anxious or emotional.

* Bradykinesia involves slowness in carrying out a movement, also hesitancy in initiating a new movement and fatiguing easily. There is also a decrease in the performance of automatic movements like eye blinking, swinging of the arms while walking, hand gestures while talking, expressive facial movements.

* Postural instability persists,  which means the patient loses balance while standing or walking.

Regular medications can help manage problems with movement and the tremor by increasing the brain’s supply of dopamine. Medications are initially given with low dosage and gradually increased as per the severity of disease. Apart from this, surgical procedures also help to an extent. For instance, in deep brain stimulation, electrodes are implanted into a specific part of the brain. They are connected to a generator implanted in the chest near the collarbone, which sends electrical pulses to the brain and thus reduces the disease symptoms.

In order to avoid further complications, follow a good exercise routine, yoga could also help ease out the stiffness over the body movements. Taking speech therapy and physiotherapy sessions is also helpful and relaxing. Stressful environments only worsen the situation; thus, it is best to stay calm.

(The author is a consultant neurologist at Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru)