2023-10-09 18:59:36
Many people will inevitably experience symptoms such as hand tremors as they age, but this may be the initial symptom of Parkinson’s disease. How to prevent and treat it? (Shutterstock)
Many people will inevitably experience symptoms such as hand tremors as they age, but this may be the initial symptom of Parkinson’s disease. How to prevent and treat it?
As many people age, they inevitably develop tremors, slow movements, and unsteady walking. The typical clinical symptoms of Parkinson’s patients are tremors, stiffness, or unsteady gait (imbalance), so this disease is also considered It is a disease of old age. With the application of drugs and surgery, these symptoms are not completely uncontrollable at a certain stage. Lu Zhihao, a senior neurologist in New York, analyzed the stages of Parkinson’s disease, as well as prevention and treatment methods, and discussed the application of deep brain stimulation (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery.
Lu Zhihao said that Parkinson’s disease is generally clinically divided into stages 1 to 5. Researchers often start various studies before patients diagnose symptoms, so now there is an additional stage 0.
“Actually, stage 0 patients do not have the typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Some patients just can’t smell things and may punch and kick themselves while sleeping. It can be found that they lack dopamine in their brains,” Dr. Lu said.
He advised patients to “walk more” because no medication is needed at this time. However, most new patients in outpatient clinics often have stage 1 symptoms, which means that patients already have symptoms such as unilateral limb stiffness when they are diagnosed.
The typical clinical symptoms of Parkinson’s patients—slowness of movement, stiffness, tremor or unsteady gait—have different manifestations in different disease processes:
Stage 0: Asymptomatic, there may be loss of taste, punching and kicking during sleep, and lack of dopamine in the body.
Stage 1: Symptoms occur on one side, such as hand shaking on one side of the body and stiffness on the other side, which may be accompanied by slow movement and reduced flexibility.
Stage 2: Symptoms occur on both sides. For example, stiffness begins to appear on both sides of the body, hand tremors, etc.
Stage 3: Symptoms occur on both sides, accompanied by worsening of the upright reflex, and the center of gravity is prone to instability when walking. May occasionally fall.
Stage 4: Symptoms occur on both sides and are accompanied by severe difficulty walking. Walking at this time requires a cane.
Stage 5: Symptoms occur on both sides, and the patient is no longer able to walk independently and requires a wheelchair.
DBS surgery to treat Parkinson’s disease
Dr. Lu said that there is still no cure for Parkinson’s disease. Exercise is the only way to delay the progression of the disease. Taking levodopamine is still the most effective drug for treating Parkinson’s disease.
In terms of surgery, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is considered to be one of the effective ways to treat the tremor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
DBS surgery involves implanting a slender electrode lead in the corresponding target part of the brain and subcutaneously connecting it to a pulse generator on the chest. It generates electric current to control and regulate abnormal activity information in the brain. To achieve the purpose of controlling the patient’s tremor symptoms. DBS surgery is very complex and delicate. Compared with other surgeries, it does not destroy brain tissue and is a reversible operation.
Deep brain stimulation involves implanting a long, thin electrode lead into the brain and connecting it subcutaneously to a pulse generator on the chest. (NIH data map of the U.S. National Institutes of Health)
However, Dr. Lu also pointed out that this treatment is suitable for patients whose disease has progressed to a certain extent, and the conditions to be considered include at least:
1. Patients with a medical history of more than 5 years. DBS treatment is suitable for people whose tremor has a major impact on their lives in the later stage and whose drugs have failed. It is mainly used to control tremor symptoms. Patients who have good drug control in the early and middle stages do not need this surgery.
2. Must be a patient with simple Parkinson’s disease. Patients with Parkinson’s syndrome (PSP) and other atypical Parkinson’s diseases are not suitable.
3. The patient is required to have no dementia, no memory impairment, and no other mental abnormality. The patient must also be able to walk normally and have no other serious chronic diseases.
4. Since surgery cannot change the amount of dopamine in the brain, patients still need medication control following DBS surgery, but the dose may be reduced. And even if it is very effective following surgery, the condition may still worsen with age.
Dr. Lu said that in fact, the treatment method of DBS is not a new thing. It first appeared in the 1990s. During use, if the battery is exhausted and the device fails, you need to go to a large hospital to adjust and replace the battery.
In addition to DBS, there are currently other surgical treatments, such as transcranial magnetic resonance guided focus ultra sound (magnetic resonance guided focus ultra sound) treatment, which uses non-invasive magnetic resonance guided focus ultrasonic beams to focus on the lesion. Thermal ablation improves essential tremor and Parkinson’s symptoms to relieve patients’ work and life problems caused by hand tremors.
In addition, a subcutaneous injection of levodopa is currently being developed to maintain drug levels in the blood, but this therapy has not yet been officially launched.
Improve nerve inflammation through diet
In order to effectively alleviate the disease process, Dr. Lu also specially recommends that patients make dietary adjustments. He points out that the MIND diet is especially good for the brain. The Mind Diet combines the advantages of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. It consumes berries, green leafy vegetables and fish that are good for the brain. It slows down brain neurodegeneration and helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The risk of dementia.
Eating vegetables with fish is beneficial to maintaining people’s vision and brain function. However, Dr. Lu reminds that some deep-sea fish may contain heavy metals, so you should be careful. In addition, patients should also consult their family physician before taking health foods to avoid risks such as drug conflicts.
Dr. Lu Zhihao, an expert in neurology. (Zhang Xuehui/The Epoch Times)
Lu Zhihao, an expert in neurology, holds a doctorate from the State University of New York and the Department of Neurology at New York University. He has nearly 20 years of clinical experience. He has served as the attending physician at the Veterans Hospital (VA) in Upstate New York and the New York Hospital Queens Medical Center (NYHQ), specializing in the treatment of brain diseases. Nervous diseases: headache, dizziness, stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and metabolic neuropathy, etc. The clinic provides electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) examinations.
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