News release via Canada NewsWire
DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION AND OTHER BREAKTHROUGH THERAPIES PROVIDE RELIEF
FROM PARKINSON’S SYMPTOMS - BUT THE CONDITION’S CAUSE AND CURE
CONTINUE TO ELUDE SCIENTISTS
Advancements of the past 12 months have improved treatment for
Canada’s 60,000 victims of “The Shaking Palsy”
TORONTO, Sept. 14 /CNW/ - Breakthrough treatments such as deep brain
stimulation and novel drug compounds are offering new hope to people
living with Parkinson’s disease, but, without a cure, the need for
information is greater than ever before. Both the cause and the cure for
Parkinson’s disease, originally described in 1817 by British doctor
James L. Parkinson as “The Shaking Palsy,” remain unknown.
The Parkinson Foundation of Canada and Canadian medical specialists
gathered today to launch a campaign to educate Canadians about
Parkinson’s disease, its symptoms and effects on life and lifestyle.
People living with the condition also joined the panel to help
demonstrate the impact of Parkinson’s disease and the results of the
advancements in treatment.
Drs. Anthony Lang and Andres Lozano of the Movement Disorders Clinic at
the Toronto Hospital, Western Division, and Dr. Mark Guttman of the
Centre for Movement Disorders in Markham joined forces to discuss
Parkinson’s disease and recent advances in its treatment.
“Parkinson’s treatment has come a long way in a very short time,”
explained Dr. Anthony Lang who, along with colleague Dr. Andres Lozano
has seen great success in alleviating symptoms with surgical techniques
including deep brain stimulation. “However, it is imperative we all
remember that we are currently treating only the symptoms of Parkinson’s
disease - we continue to search for a cure.”
Advancements in Parkinson’s Disease Treatment
Options for treating Parkinson’s disease include drug therapies and
brain surgery. Deep brain stimulation is the most recent in surgical
techniques and involves implanting a permanent electrode into the
subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus or thalamus which stimulates that
region of the brain. The electrode, powered by an implanted pacemaker or
a stimulator which is worn outside the body, helps relieve the symptoms
of Parkinson’s disease including tremor, rigidity, jerky movement and
difficulty with fine motor skills.
“We can and have seen great results with deep brain stimulation and
other brain surgeries including pallidotomy and thalamotomy,” explained
Dr. Andres Lozano who was joined by a patient who had undergone deep
brain stimulation and was able to demonstrate the effects by turning off
the implanted electrode. “But surgery is not for everyone. It is
important that, as movement disorder specialists, we analyze the
symptoms and situation of each person we see to determine the best and
most effective course of action.”
The face of drug therapy has undergone radical change in the past year
with the approval of three new drugs for the Canadian market:
ropinirole, pramipexole and tolcapone. Drug therapy for Parkinson’s
disease controls symptoms by correcting the levels of dopamine in the
brain. “The goal of drug treatment for Parkinson’s disease is to improve
the quality of life for patients and maintain it as the condition
progresses,” explained Dr. Mark Guttman, a movement disorder specialist.
“We refer to on-time and off-time with our patients, meaning the time
the medications are effective and the time when they are not. We seek to
maximize the on-time with the help of these new drugs.”
Off-time is characterized by slowness, stiffness and tremor. It limits
the activities of daily living that we take for granted. Everyday
functions such as walking, dressing, eating and writing may be impaired.
Off-time may alternate with on-time or a period of controlled symptoms.
Some patients also experience symptoms due to excess treatment called
dyskinesias - jerky, involuntary movements that look like spasms. The
severity of the dyskinesias, like the Parkinson’s itself, progresses
with time.
Understanding Parkinson’s Disease
“Parkinson’s disease has received a great deal of attention over the
past year or two because of the numerous advancements we have seen in
treatment,” explained Blair McRobie, President and Chief Executive
Officer of The Parkinson Foundation of Canada. “Although this attention
has been a great benefit in generating understanding of surgical
techniques and drug therapies for Parkinson’s treatment, there is still
a great void in the information the public is receiving about the
condition itself - a void that we are committed to filling.”
Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 60,000 Canadian men and women
primarily over the age of 50, however approximately five to 10 per cent
of victims have young onset (before the age of 40). Although the cause
of the condition is not known, symptoms occur when cells (dopaminergic
neurons) in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra
degenerate. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease only become recognizable
after 50 per cent of these cells have been lost.
"There is much that is happening in the field of Parkinson’s treatment
which is really encouraging, but there is still so much that has to be
done in terms of finding a cure and supporting all people affected by
Parkinson’s disease,” said Jeremy Brown, a journalist living with
Parkinson’s and chair of the Central Ontario Region of The Parkinson
Foundation of Canada. “There are so many of us who hide when we receive
our diagnosis - depression is very common. My job is to get them to come
out.”
“Unlike other diseases, a diagnosis of Parkinson’s is a life
sentence. People do not die of this condition, they live with it and its
progressing symptoms for life,” concluded Mr. Brown.
The Parkinson Foundation of Canada is dedicated to funding research and
providing support services for people living with Parkinson’s and their
families. Founded in 1965, the Foundation has more than 100 chapters and
support groups across Canada and has committed in the past five years
more than $6.5 million to 125 scientists working on the Parkinson’s
puzzle. The Foundation also supports 10 Movement Disorder Clinics and
four Community Outreach programs.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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