How Much Do You Know? April 11 'World Parkinson's Disease Day' ... If You Experience Tremors, Stiffness, and Slowness

Daedong Hospital's Department Head Shin Hyekyung: "If Neglected, Secondary Diseases May Occur; Consistent Exercise and Medication Are Necessary"

April 11th is "World Parkinson's Disease Day" every year. [Image source=Clipart Korea]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The disease suffered by Michael J. Fox, the protagonist of the movie ‘Back To The Future,’ the 40th President of the United States Ronald Reagan, and the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali.

In 1817, British physician James Parkinson first reported it to the academic community and began calling the disease ‘Parkinson’s’.

April 11th every year is designated as ‘World Parkinson’s Disease Day’ in honor of James Parkinson’s birthday.

Parkinson’s disease, considered one of the world’s three major neurodegenerative diseases along with dementia and stroke, increased by 13.2% from 110,917 cases in 2016 to 125,607 cases in 2019, according to the National Health Insurance Service’s public interest disease statistics.

As of 2019, the distribution is 49.5% in their 80s, 35.4% in their 70s, and 11.4% in their 60s, with women (68%) more affected than men (32%).

The representative symptoms are motor disorders such as rigidity, tremors, slow movements, postural instability, and balance disorders caused by the death of dopamine-producing nerve cells distributed in the substantia nigra of the brain.

It is a degenerative neurological disease that also presents non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment, visual hallucinations, depression, and autonomic nervous system symptoms. Early symptoms are often expressed as pain or depressive symptoms.

Among patients, 5-10% are confirmed to have genetic causes, but the exact cause has not yet been identified.

There is no special diagnostic method, so the most important factor in diagnosing Parkinson’s disease is the symptoms that appear in Parkinson’s patients.

The main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremors that are clearly visible at rest, rigidity symptoms that appear when joints are passively moved due to increased muscle tension, slow movements such as slow behavior and reduced speech, a mask-like face, and postural instability characterized by a stooped and unsteady standing posture.

Parkinson’s patients tend to take short steps and shuffle forward when walking, often resulting in falls.

Typical Parkinson’s disease can be diagnosed sufficiently through symptoms and neurological examinations, but because there are many cases of secondary Parkinsonism or atypical Parkinsonism with similar symptoms, blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and brain imaging tests such as positron emission tomography (PET) that measure the density and distribution of dopamine transporters are performed to differentiate them.

Patients with Parkinson’s disease may become unable to live independently within 2 to 3 years if the disease progresses rapidly.

Since symptoms rarely improve once the disease develops, Parkinson’s disease is currently known to progress continuously and worsen over time.

However, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can allow patients to maintain daily life for more than 20 years, although recovery is difficult.

Treatment is challenging, but medication, rehabilitation therapy, and surgery are sometimes performed to delay disease progression.

In particular, Parkinson’s patients often complain of pain due to muscle rigidity, so continuous rehabilitation therapy such as gait training and posture correction is necessary to slow the rate of muscle stiffening.

Additionally, radiofrequency treatment is used when long-term medication and rehabilitation therapy no longer provide effective results.

Parkinson’s disease is often confused with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, but unlike dementia, which is characterized mainly by memory impairment, Parkinson’s disease first causes physical limitations.

Also, not all Parkinson’s patients develop dementia; only about 30-40% of patients show dementia symptoms in the late stages.

Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment can delay the onset of dementia in Parkinson’s patients. The famous American actor Michael J. Fox was able to continue his acting career after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 due to good management.

Department Head Hyekyung Shin, Neurology, Daedong Hospital. [Image source=Daedong Hospital]

Shin Hye-kyung, head of the Neurology Department at Daedong Hospital, pointed out, “Parkinson’s disease itself does not directly affect life expectancy, but if left untreated, it can make daily life difficult and cause secondary diseases such as pneumonia or falls.”

Dr. Shin advised, “Since it is a slowly progressing disease, regular check-ups with a neurologist and appropriate management with medication and exercise are necessary.”

For Parkinson’s patients, regular medication and exercise, as well as quitting smoking and drinking, balanced meals, moderate exercise, and psychological stability are important.

Because Parkinson’s patients with significant movement restrictions are prone to constipation, a balanced diet including vegetables, fruits, and an appropriate amount of protein, along with sufficient hydration, is essential.

It is also known to be helpful to regularly perform bare-hand exercises, walking, and joint exercises about 2 to 3 times a day.