Bengaluru: Walk-Inson 2017, walkathon to create Parkinson Disease held

Bellevision Media Network

Bengaluru, 18 Apr 2017: It is Parkinson’s Awareness Week (April 10-16) and April 11th of every year is recognized as the World Parkinson’ Day. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) was first dubbed as ‘the shaking palsy’ by Dr James Parkinson in 1817, 200 years ago, but despite the large amount of time and money that has been spent researching the disease, the causes remain an enigma. In spite of all the research, there has still not been any permanent solution for the patients suffering from this disease.  Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition which affects a person’s movement. The main symptoms are a tremor, slowness of movement and stiff, inflexible muscles.

 

While 200 years is far too long for patients and their loved ones to wait, there has been significant scientific progress in the last few decades alone and there is tremendous cause for optimism. This Parkinson’s Awareness Week, to mark the 200th year of its existence, we at the Jain Institute Of Movement Disorders and Functional Neurosurgery (JIOMSN) @ the Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Vasanth Nagar, Bengaluru, are addressing all the medical and surgical aspects of Parkinson’s Disease. This awareness campaign held today was to learn how you can get involved and help us find a cure within our lifetime.

 

 

‘Walk-Inson 2017,’ a walk in the park for PD, is a very novel concept created by JIOMSN for creating awareness among the general public about all these treatments. And also seek the help of the public at large to reach out to all the PD patients in the community, so that their disabilities could be decreased significantly with our treatments. Dr Sharan Srinivasan, Neuro Surgeon and Director at JIOMSN, a senior neurosurgeon who is specialized in performing various surgeries (Ablation & DBS) for patients with PD and Dr Sanjiv C C, a neurologist specialized in the medical management of PD lead the group in creating awareness on the disease.

 

More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease. Incidence of Parkinson’s increases with age, but an estimated four percent of people with PD are diagnosed before the age of 50. Men are one and a half times more likely to have Parkinson’s than women. In India, close to 1 million people suffer from this disease and it is found common among them after an age of 60 years. There are many internationally accepted treatments now available here for the more effective management of the symptoms of the disease, hence significantly reducing the symptoms and therefore improving their quality of life. The aim of Parkinson’s Day/Week is to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease, promoting a greater understanding of this condition and how it can affect a person’s life,’ said Dr Sharan Srinivas who has been a neuro surgeon for 15 years now.

 

Parkinson’s is a disease in which nerve cells that deliver the neurotransmitter dopamine to other cells are reduced in numbers. As cell death spreads to ever larger parts of the brain more centers are affected. This results in an aggravation of motor and non-motor disorders. Following a reduction in dopamine levels there are many non-motor symptoms which can precede the onset of motor Parkinson’s disease for many years.

 

(Non-Motor Symptoms Include: REM sleep behavioral disorder, Reduced sense of smell, Automatic dysfunction, Depression, Impaired Vision, Attention Deficit, Difficulties planning and carrying out ordinary tasks to name a few prominent ones).

 

The motor symptoms of Parkinson’s are based around involuntary movements or rigidity (in which muscles of the body ’freeze up’ and do not work). The impact of these motor symptoms in the day to day life of a person with Parkinson’s are immense; this awareness event aims in part, to make more people understand the severity of these symptoms,’ Dr Sharan was quoted as saying.

 

Parkinson’s Disease Can Happen To Anybody. Many people who have heard of Parkinson’ disease associate this condition with the physical symptoms of tremor or rigidity. These symptoms may be shown as head bobbing or other sudden involuntary jerking movements. World Parkinson’s Day aims to make more people aware of the non-motor symptoms said Dr Sanjiv C C.

 

A 5 kilometers ‘Walk-Inson 2017’ concluded at the Cubbon park with an awareness campaign of spreading a word on the Disease to all the joggers and fitness freaks present at the venue.