Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological disease. More than ten million people are affected worldwide, around 25,000 in Austria, according to the Parkinson Society (ÖPG) in a broadcast. The disease is not yet curable, but it has been scientifically proven that a healthy, Mediterranean diet and, above all, intensive physical training can delay the onset and have a positive effect on the later course of the disease.
“For sports and exercise, including physiotherapy and dance, there is increasingly clear scientific evidence of effectiveness,” reported ÖPG President Walter Pirker. Research is well on the way to developing suitable early diagnostic tools for Parkinson’s risk screening and new drugs that alleviate the disease. In addition to motor and non-motor symptoms, the family history (relatives with Parkinson’s disease) and questions regarding lifestyle (particularly smoking, poor nutrition and lack of exercise) are important factors in early detection and prevention.
The basis of Parkinson’s disease is a gradual loss of dopamine-containing nerve cells in the black matter (substantia nigra) of the midbrain. The lack of dopamine leads to the characteristic symptoms of sedentary lifestyle (bradykinesia), muscle stiffness (rigor), speech disorders (hypophonia and hypoarticulation) and trembling (tremor). Some of those affected already suffer from uncharacteristic early symptoms, such as shoulder, arm or lower back pain or muscle cramps following sport.
The first signs can appear many years before Parkinson’s symptoms
In addition, it is now known that many years, in some cases 20 years, before classic symptoms, a number of mainly non-motor symptoms can appear, which can indicate the future development of Parkinson’s disease. These include actively living out dreams (the so-called REM sleep behavior disorder), constipation, mood changes with a tendency to anxiety or depression, but also a reduced sense of smell.
“Among the neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s is by far the best treatable because the lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine that causes many of the symptoms can be largely replaced by medication,” explained OePG Vice President Regina Katzenschlager from the Department of Neurology at the Donaustadt Clinic in Vienna. During the entire course of the disease, individual adjustments to drug and non-drug therapies are necessary, with which many symptoms can be controlled well and the quality of life of those affected can be increased. “The earlier the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease can be made, the more successfully it is possible to intervene in the disease process,” added Pirker.
Service: More information from the ÖPG and podcast at www.parkinson.at
