Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that gets progressively worse with time. It affects every individual differently; the severity, progression and the symptoms vary from person to person.
The progression of Parkinson’s disease can be broken down into 5 main stages and are known as the Hoehn and Yahr Scale. The scale is used by physicians across the world to categorize patients and treat them accordingly.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s include:
- Tremors when the body is at rest
- Limb rigidity
- Bradykinesia
- Gait and balance problems
Even though each year about 60,000 people in the USA are diagnosed with Parkinson’s every year, the cause of the disease still isn’t known. There is no cure for the disease, but treatments are available. The disease itself isn’t fatal, however the complications caused by the disease can make day-to-day life difficult.
The CDC rated Parkinson’s as the 14th most prominent cause of death in the US.
The treatment options for Parkinson’s include medication and surgery. Medication is given to patients to improve their daily lives; it can help them with walking, it reduces tremors and eases movement. The medication given to Parkinson’s patients serve as a substitute for dopamine and can also boost its production.
The primary way to treat Parkinson’s through surgery is Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). This is when the surgeon implants electrodes into certain parts of the brain. These electrodes send electrical pulses to the brain in an attempt to reduce Parkinson’s disease symptoms.
Dr. Farzin Pedouim is a board-certified Neurologist and Movement Disorder Specialist in Huntington Beach and Los Angeles. He has years of experience in treating patients with Parkinson’s Disease and dementia.