Seven million people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) ensures that by 2040 the number of people affected by Parkinson’s will double, becoming a global public health problem.
Parkinson’s, neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons in specific areas of the brain. It has become the second most common neurodegenerative disease in people over 50 years of age.
The National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery estimates an annual prevalence in Mexico of 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The IMSS estimates that 50,000 Mexicans suffer from it, while worldwide it affects 4 to 7 million people over 50 years of age.
Added to this difficult reality is the fact that, according to reports from the Health Secretary, this disease is appearing in an even younger population. Parkinson’s generally affects people over 65 years of age (70%), although there are cases that do not exceed 50 years of age and are already affected. Symptoms are even reported in people under the age of 30.
Antonia Campolongo, specialist nurse at the Movement Disorders Unit of the Neurology Service at Hospital de Sant Pau and professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), mentioned that there are several myths about Parkinson’s and one of them would be that all those who sufferers tremor, and although tremors of the limbs are the most visible symptoms, not all Parkinson’s patients have tremor.
“There are other symptoms such as muscle stiffness, slowness of movement and altered posture that can sometimes affect the quality of life of each of them much more. In addition, non-motor symptoms such as depression, REM sleep disturbance and constipation are avoided. It is for this reason that we must work to make this disease visible. Many more resources are also needed so that patients can access non-pharmacological therapies such as physical therapy, occupational therapy or cognitive stimulation. Currently, not all of them are easily accessible through social security, and in many cases they are paid for by the patient or their families”.
For her part, Berta Pascual, neurologist and coordinator of the Neurological Nursing specialization at the UOC, mentioned that the incidence of Parkinson’s has not changed in global terms, but its prevalence is increasing because people’s life expectancy is increasing. elder.
“This disease appears around 60-65 years of age (although it is not uncommon for it to start at earlier or more advanced ages), and life expectancy is long (increasingly with current treatments). For this reason, there are many people with 80 years or older who suffer from it. Despite this, I think society is prepared to take on those numbers.”
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Esmeralda Bastidas Valenzuela, founder of NEOCLINIC Health & Care explained that the etiology of Parkinson’s disease lies in reduced dopaminergic neurotransmission in the basal ganglia, due to the death of more than 80% of dopaminergic neurons.
When the person begins with symptoms and receives stem cell therapy, the cells promote the formation of new dopaminergic neurons, slowing down the development of the disease”, considered Bastidas, who is a member of the American Academy of Anti Aging Medicine (A4M).
This therapy is usually an excellent adjuvant in the treatment of other chronic-degenerative diseases linked to age, such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Alzheimer’s, etc. It can also accompany the treatment of various types of cancer, Bastidas concluded.