Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disease of unknown cause, suffered in Spain by about 80,000 people. In cases that begin under 45 years of age, genetic factors are important. On the other hand, in the usual cases (above 45 years of age), these factors play little role.
We know -although not very well why- that Parkinson’s disease is less frequent in smokers, and probably coffee reduces the risk of suffering it.
Phases of Parkinson’s disease
Premotor phase of Parkinson’s
Parkinson’s begins long before its diagnosis, in what is known as the premotor phase. Here the first symptoms appear: constipation and alterations of the sense of smell with loss of acuity of this sense. These symptoms precede by years the onset of the typical motor symptoms of the disease.
A very characteristic disturbance of the premotor phase is the so-called REM sleep disorder, which consists in the fact that while sleeping, the subject moves a lot, talks or even shouts. This is because the connections that should prevent the “dreams” from not having a motor manifestation are broken. This disorder is diagnosed by performing sleep studies (polymnography).
Motor phase of Parkinson’s disease
The diagnosis of Parkinson’s is made when motor manifestations begin, in the so-called motor phase. Motor clumsiness, “akinesia” in medical language, is always present and is the most disabling symptom. Its manifestations in daily life are the change in the size of the letter, difficulty in writing, fastening shoelaces, lack of braking when walking, etc. The tremor known as “rest tremor” in medical language, is another characteristic symptom of the disease. This tremor is quite frequent, however, approximately one third of patients never develop it. In addition to these symptoms, during the examination the physician observes a characteristic type of stiffness called “cogwheel”.
According to specialists in Neurology, when the disease progresses, gait disturbances and in some cases memory loss occur.
Treatment of Parkinson’s disease
Once the disease is diagnosed, some medications are available that can slow its progression. The “symptomatic” treatment is good, effective and allows the patient to lead a normal life during the first years with the only inconvenience of the daily intake of medication. When the disease progresses, there are three types of treatments to improve the patient’s quality of life and mitigate symptoms. These treatments are: The placement of electrodes in the brain, the continuous injection of a substance called apomorphine, or the administration through the stomach of another substance called duodopa.
Finally, research into the cause of the disease and new treatments is very active, both in Spain and abroad, so we must look forward to the future with hope and enthusiasm.