Deep brain stimulation better treatment for Parkinson's
Some of them have difficulty even swallowing where the food gets into the lungs leading to major pulmonary conditions.
Hyderabad: The second most common neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson’s, has to be managed with medication and therapy but the recent treatments of deep brain stimulation are found to offer hope even for senior citizens, say experts on World Parkinson’s Day. With 1 in 10 persons across the world suffering from the disease the burden is 7 to 10 million globally.
Parkinson’s disease creates loss of dopamine producing brain cells leading to progressive deterioration of motor skill functions like there is stiffness, slowness and impaired balance making it difficult to walk, talk or complete simple tasks.
Some of them have difficulty even swallowing where the food gets into the lungs leading to major pulmonary conditions. The loss is progressive and there is trembling of the limbs and head even while at rest. But the disease takes 15 years to get worse and doctors are opting for medication and therapy with early diagnosis so that it can be controlled.
Dr Raghuram G, senior consultant neurosurgeon and spine surgeon, said, “Early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and medications are showing good results in patients. Both physical and mental exercises are found to help. In the most severe cases deep brain stimulation has shown good results. Even in elderly if the pre-surgical evaluations are properly done, there is scope for improvement. But surgery is the last resort for severe cases only.”