World Parkinson's Day is held every year on April 11 – the birth date of James Parkinson, an English doctor and researcher who was first to describe this condition. This event aims to raise public awareness of Parkinson's disease, provide support to patients and their families, and contribute to overcoming the illness.
Parkinson's disease (PD) belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders. PD is more common in the elderly, but it may be diagnosed in people younger than 40. PD is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The lack of dopamine causes motor system disorders, including resting tremors of hands, which decreases during active movements, general muscle stiffness, and bradykinesia.
Parkinson's disease affects 200 per 100000 of the population in Russia. Approximately 2% of the population over the age of 60 has PD. Yuriy V. LALOV, MD, PhD, Prof. Assoc. of the Neurology and Neurosurgery Department, mentioned that this incidence is high due to the increasing life expectancy, which means that the number of people diagnosed and living with PD is increasing too. Since Parkinson's disease is a progressive condition, it leads to disability and the need for constant care.
- How intensively is the search for the causes of Parkinson's disease conducted now?
- A lot of risk factors have been proposed, including genetics. However, none of the factors were conclusively proven, though PD pathophysiology is quite known. But research is actively carried out, including a program of interuniversity cooperation aimed at sudying PD. In autumn, OSMU will hold I Siberian Neurocongress, one of the sessions of which will be devoted to Parkinson's disease.
- Is it important to find out a trigger of PD to develop the effective preventive measures?
- It definitely is. Many patients mistakenly define trauma, emotional distress, past infections as the reason for PD development. They also confuse Parkinsonism with other diseases and PD. There are no specific preventive measures to avoid Parkinson's disease in a person who is not genetically predisposed to it. For now, nicotine, caffeine, and intestinal microflora are actively considered as factors impacting on the course of the disease.
- Does the treatment help to control the symptoms?
- At the initial stage, modern treatment helps well to control motor and some non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. But different disease rates in patients do not allow detecting the optimal duration of effective treatment. We are trying not only to manage symptoms but also to affect the social and daily life of these people. Two schools for patients with Parkinson's disease and their relatives have been set up recently; and now they are actively running in the city of Omsk.
OSMU Press Center