Parkinson's disease was known 4,500 years ago!

Hyderabad: Tremors won't let the hands hold a water glass of coffee mug. Consuming food also will be difficult. Slurred speech and disability to walk also will cause our bodies not to be in our control. This is called Parkinson’s disease (PD). there is some evidence that a disease known as "kampavata," consisting of shaking (kampa) and lack of muscular movement (vata), existed in the ancient Indian medical system, Ayurveda, as long as 4500 years ago.

The Mucuna pruriens (Velvet bean) plant was used in ancient times to treat the symptoms and was later discovered to contain levodopa, said Dr. Jayasree, a noted PD specialist at KIMS Hospital.

She spoke in an awareness program on PD at KIMS Hospital on the occasion of World Parkinson's Day. KIMS Hospitals CMD Dr. Bollineni Bhaskar Rao noted neurologist Dr. Sita Jayalaxmi, proclaimed neurosurgeon Dr. Manas Panigrahi, Neurologist Dr. Mohan Das, and Dr. Praveen also participated in the program and explained in detail about the disease.

Farming or agriculture work, the use of well water, high dietary intake of iron, especially in combination with high manganese intake, and reduced levels of dietary and sunlight-derived vitamin D also are some of the risk factors.

Comorbidities
A variety of medical and psychiatric illnesses in early or mid-life have been associated with increased risk of PD in observational studies.Excess body weight and metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, history of traumatic brain injury, and history of melanoma or prostate cancer are also some risk factors.

Clinical features
PD is characterized by three main motor features: tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity. Tremor is the presenting symptom in approximately 70 to 80 percent of patients. In the early stages of PD, tremor is usually intermittent and may not be noticeable to others. However, as the disease progresses, the tremor usually becomes more apparent.Tremor usually starts unilaterally in the hand and then spreads contralaterally to the legs, lips, jaw, and tongue but rarely involves the head. Anxiety, emotional excitement, or stressful situations can exacerbate the tremor. They can't express themselves on their face, blinking rate of their eyes reduces. They can't speak loudly, and clearly. Swallowing becomes difficult. Saliva comes from the mouth.Handwriting impairs. Subacute axial dystonia with lateral flexion of the trunk, head, and neck, and also Scoliosis will be there. They face difficulty turning in bed. Cognitive dysfunction and dementia, mood disorders including depression, anxiety, apathy/abulia, and sleep disturbances will be there.

Most of the treatment models are symptomatic therapies. Levodopa, most commonly in the form of carbidopa-levodopa is mostly used. Nonergot dopamine agonists and Monoamine oxidase type B are also used to treat PD. But, none of the above have been established as disease-modifying or neuroprotective.

Dr. Manas Panigrahi said that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is the most frequently performed surgical procedure for the treatment of PD. In this, the surgeon activates the inner parts of the brain so that it can bring normal movements to the body. The surgery is done according to the age and condition of the patient. This is more effective than the medication.