World Parkinson’s Day was celebrated recently to raise awareness of this neurodegenerative disease. Parkinson’s is a slowly progressive, degenerative, chronic disease of the central nervous system that affects nerve cells, or neurons, in a part of the brain that controls muscle tone and movement (extrapyramidal system).
It is a complex pathology that presents with a series of motor symptoms (slowness of movement, tremor, rigidity, postural instability) and non-motor symptoms (sleep disorders, constipation, visual, respiratory, urinary, cognitive or psychological problems). This disease usually begins around age 60, but it can appear earlier.
A total of 20,459 people in the Valencian Community have an active diagnosis of Parkinson ‘s disease. Of these, 7,523 are from Alicante Province, 2,156 from the province of Castellón and 10,780 from Valencia.
By gender, 52.61 percent (10,763) of patients are women and 47.39 percent (9,696) men. By age groups, the most frequent cases are in people between the ages of 75 and 79 (4,397 patients), followed by the group between 80 and 84 years (4,248 patients), 85 and 89 years (3,316 patients) and 70 and 74 years (2,969 patients), according to the details given by the Ministry of Health in a statement.
Of the total number of patients with an active diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, 3,408 were newly diagnosed in 2022. By province, 1,338 from Alicante, 318 are from Castellón and 1,752 from Valencia.
According to specialists, although Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative pathology after Alzheimer’s, in some cases, and due to the mobility disorders that it entails, it can become more disabling. People with Parkinson’s require continuous monitoring and care. Primary Care teams – physician, nursing, social workers – work in coordination with teams of specialists involved in helping with the physical, mental and social aspects of the disease.
Although there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, it can be treated and there are various drugs that help significantly improve the symptoms and quality of life for each patient.