The tremors of Parkinson’s disease
BANGALORE: Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking and difficulty with movement and coordination
Parkinson disease is the most common movement disorder which usually affects elders above 50 years. On this World Parkinson Day on April 11, neurologists emphasise on the early intervention of this neuro-degenerative disorder which usually go undiagnosed at an early stage.
Delayed treatment leads to progressive loss of muscle control and as the symptoms worsen, it leads to difficulty in walking and even simple tasks become difficult to perform.
"Parkinson's disease most often develops after the age of 50, affecting both men and women. Due to lack of awareness among the family physicians on the early symptoms of the disease, many doctors are not able to assess the symptoms and most often it goes undiagnosed," says Dr P Satish Chandra, Director, NIMHANS. He adds, "By the time the patients visit neurologists, they would have already attained the advanced stage."
Experts maintain that early diagnosis of the disease is important as it can help the patients to lead a better quality of life. However, neurologists also observed that the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease at an early stage can be challenging due to similarities to related movement disorders and other conditions with Parkinson-like symptoms.
Dr GT Subhas, head of the department, neurology, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) says, "There is no specific cause of the disease and it can happen to anyone. Parkinson, often in the early stages, resemble other conditions with Parkinson like symptoms called as Parkinsonism. Patients may sometimes be misdiagnosed as having another disorder and sometimes patients with Parkinson-like symptoms may be inaccurately diagnosed as having Parkinson."
Experts further say that besides early intervention of the disease, accurate diagnosis in the early phase helps the neurologists in providing good treatment.