April 11th is World Parkinson’s Day. Parkinson’s disease is the second most common degenerative brain disease after dementia. It is named after the physician James Parkinson, who first reported the disease in 1817. Parkinson’s disease is a disease in which nerve cells that secrete dopamine in a specific part of the brain called the substantia nigra, located in the midbrain, are gradually lost without knowing the cause. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s statistics on diseases of national interest, the number of patients is steadily increasing from about 100,000 in 2015 to 125,000 in 2019.
Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that plays a role in fine-tuning body movements. Therefore, dopamine-deficient Parkinson’s disease patients mainly complain of symptoms related to motor function. A characteristic gait appears, often in a stooped position, with shaking hands and feet at rest, stiff muscles or slow movements.
The cause of Parkinson’s disease has not yet been clearly identified. However, the incidence rate gradually increases after the age of 60 because the risk of the disease increases as aging progresses. There are cases of familial onset, but most of them occur without a family history or clear genetic abnormalities, except for cases of onset at a young age of less than 40 years.
Professor Kim Hee-jin of the Department of Neurology at Konkuk University Hospital said, “The main treatment method for Parkinson’s disease is drugs.” Professor Kim Hee-jin continued, “Drug treatment does not cure the disease or stop the progression, but supplement the lack of dopamine to help the patient lead a normal daily life, so it should be taken continuously for a long time.” Together, we need to establish a long-term treatment plan that is most suitable for the patient’s own condition, from the type of drug to the dosage.”
If you have been taking the drug for a long period of time and the efficacy of the drug is shortened and the complications of exercise are severe, surgical treatment methods such as deep brain stimulation may be considered. However, since the applicable cases are limited, it is necessary to go through the process of selecting patients who are eligible for surgery.
Professor Kim Hee-jin said, “Parkinson’s disease usually progresses slowly, so if appropriate treatment is started early, normal social activities are possible without any problems.” It is better to go to the hospital and receive treatment,” he said.
Professor Kim Hee-jin also said, “In addition to drugs and surgery, continuous exercise is a great help in treatment.