Throughout life there are different health problems that can occur. Usually, in adulthood and old age there is a higher risk of developing some, although that does not mean that everyone will have them. Within this list is the Parkinson and although it has a high incidence there is still information about its symptoms that are not known by the general population.
In this vein, the specialist of the Institute of Cellular Physiology (IFC) of the UNAM, José Bargas Díaz, points out that Mexico lacks accurate statistics with the number of patients. Although in first world nations it is estimated that after 60 years of age, at least six percent of the population suffers from this disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic disorder with which you can live up to 30 years. It originates before the first motor signs appear, which is why it requires early diagnosis, since sometimes people take two to four years to go to the doctor.
Main symptoms of Parkinson’s
The most important thing is to know the first warning signs to be able to request specialized care immediately. The list is made up of the following:
- Involuntary tremors in a foot or hand,
- Trouble pronouncing words, writing, or sleeping.
- Slow in movements.
- Muscular stiffness.
- Alteration in posture and balance.
- Loss of automatic movements.
- Urinary problems or constipation.
- Difficulty swallowing and chewing.
It has been documented that the patient may present complications such as not sleeping well, having nightmares, talking while asleep, which may be accompanied by anxiety and depression, says the expert in neural connectivity networks.
The specialist who first described the disease
However, Every April 11, World Parkinson’s Day is commemorated. and the reason is because it is the date of birth of the British neurologist James Parkinson. He was in charge of documenting the first signs of this disease and even for that reason it bears his last name, although at the beginning he called it Agitating paralysis.
Bargas Díaz points out that the late diagnosis is compounded by the fact that when the person has the first symptoms they try to hide them from others. As a consequence, he is slow to admit that he needs treatment and causes the severity of the problem to increase. The drawback is that the new, possible and hypothetical neuroprotective drugs are not administered on time.
The two types of Parkinson that exist
The IFC researcher explains that there are two variants of what is also called Parkinson’s disease: juvenile and idiopathic. The first appears before the age of 30 or 40 and its causes are genetic. While the second is the one in which the majority of cases come mainly from the consumption of toxic substances, bacterial infections or accidents, but also due to genetic issues.
One example is the case of Canadian-American actor Michael J. Fox who contracted it due to the synthetic drug MPTP. Currently, this type of toxin is used to replicate the symptoms of the disease in laboratory animals and to search for more efficient drugs or treatments against it.
Regarding the genetic causes, the researcher details that failures have been detected in an organelle -subcellular structure- called peroxisome. It is the one in charge of discarding or eliminating proteins that have finished their life cycle. Most of the genes related to Parkinson’s are linked to proteins that help expel what is no longer useful.
“Basic research has revealed that the first deposits of pathological alpha-synuclein are seen in the intestinal cells and then travel up the nerves that innervate the intestine and reach the brain. These deposits are not an infection itself, but the product of pathogenic bacteria that begin to contaminate our system, as it spreads as an infectious agent. Alpha-synuclein behaves like a prion, that is, it is not a virus, it is not a bacterium, but it behaves as if it were both”.
It is a serious problem of old age and public health in all countries. It is inconceivable that specialty hospitals, located in the most remote areas, do not have adequate treatment for the disease. It is a disease that must be seen by third-level specialists and may even require brain stereotaxic surgery by well-trained surgeons.