The Movement Disorders Unit offers patients state-of-the-art treatments and the possibility of participating in clinical trials.
(Madrid. Lucila Rodríguez)
The Movement Disorders Unit of the Ruber International Hospital, created in 1998 and directed by Dr. Mónica Kurtis, offers patients the most advanced diagnostic techniques and treatments, as well as the possibility of participating in clinical trials, which helps them to improve their pathology and, therefore, their quality of life.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from a neurological disorder and, in Europe alone, up to 1.8 per 100 people over the age of 65 suffer from Parkinson’s, a disease whose prevalence is increasing every year and which is already beginning to be considered a pandemic.
In fact, Parkinson’s disease, characterized by slowness of movement, tremor, alterations in posture and/or gait, voice, writing, as well as depression, anxiety or cognitive impairment, is one of the diseases most frequently treated at the Movement Disorders Unit, where a total of 1,000 consultations are carried out each year.
“Another group of diseases called parkinsonisms, which have similar symptoms to Parkinson’s but with some differences and usually have a worse prognosis, as well as pathologies such as dystonia, myoclonus, tremors, tics, ataxias or ballismus, are also treated,” explains Dr. Marisa Luisa Almarcha.
When a patient comes to the Unit for help, a neurologist specializing in movement disorders performs a complete assessment and, subsequently, the patient is informed of the suspected or confirmed diagnosis. In some cases, complementary studies are requested, which are performed early in order to start the therapeutic plan as soon as possible.
“A tailored treatment plan is designed for the patient depending on his or her characteristics, which may include oral medication therapy, botulinum toxin infiltrations, advanced therapies with continuous infusion pumps with levodopa or apomorphine and stereotactic surgery. The importance of physical exercise and the possibility of specific physical rehabilitation, speech therapy and occupational therapy are also addressed. The intellectual and emotional aspect is important in many patients, so neuropsychological and clinical psychological therapy may be recommended,” explains Dr. Almarcha.
Functional movement disorders program
In addition, since 2016 the Unit has had a specific and pioneering national program for functional movement disorders, led by Dr. Isabel Pareés and involving a multidisciplinary group composed of psychotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists.
However, there is an ‘alteration of the communication between the brain and the body’, sending an ‘abnormal signal that generates these symptoms’. “That is why the program provides a comprehensive assessment and therapeutic approach, as recommended by international standards, with a multidisciplinary team comprising a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and speech therapist,” argues Dr. Almarcha.
Patients can also have access to Gammaknife stereotactic surgery, of which the Ruber International Hospital is a pioneer. “It began in the 1990s and therefore we have extensive experience in treating patients with disabling tremor with this type of non-invasive surgery,” says the doctor.
Innovative and promising clinical trials
Participation in clinical trials on new diagnostic methods or treatments helps to maintain training and continued scientific excellence in medicine, while offering patients the possibility of accessing therapies that are not yet on the market and that may be useful to them.
Therefore, the Unit is involved in several clinical studies on Parkinson’s disease and will soon start a trial in which a gene therapy for a specific mutation in genetic Parkinson’s disease will be analyzed, which is believed to be the “future” of treatment in the coming years.
“We are also participating in other areas of research. Specifically as part of a large European project for the development of artificial intelligence tools for the follow-up diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, as well as in other areas such as, for example, the validation of clinical scales,” explains Dr. Almarcha.
