Today, April 11, we commemorate the birthday of James Parkinson, the English physician who in 1817 first described the disease that bears his name.

The aim of this World Parkinson’s Day is to raise awareness of what Parkinson’s disease is and how it changes the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease and their loved ones.

Parkinson’s disease is a common neurological disease. In Spain there are more than 160,000 people affected. It is estimated that around 30,000 are undiagnosed. Parkinson’s disease is defined by the presence of several motor symptoms:

• rigidity
• slow
• rest tremor
• gait instability

Not all patients have all of these symptoms. In fact, one third of patients never develop tremor. In recent decades, the multiple non-motor symptoms that are part of this disease are also being investigated and characterized. In some people with Parkinson’s, sleep, mood, intellectual capacity and the autonomic system may be affected, giving rise to constipation, sweating, urinary urgency and a feeling of dizziness on arising.

What is dopamine?

Since the 1960s it has been known that in Parkinson’s disease there is a deficit of a brain messenger called dopamine. It is the main neurotransmitter between the nuclei of the brain that coordinate movement and are called basal ganglia. One of these nuclei, known as the “substantia nigra”, is composed of dopaminergic neurons whose purpose is to produce and store this brain messenger.

In Parkinson’s disease, due to causes that we still do not know exactly, these neurons progressively degenerate. The level of dopamine in the motor circuits decreases and the result is a lack of coordination of movement and the aforementioned motor symptoms. We now know that other brain messengers are also altered, such as acetylcholine, GABA, serotonin and adrenaline, which are related to other brain circuits and to many of the non-motor symptoms of the disease.

Diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease

The diagnosis of this disease is clinical. This means that there is no imaging or blood test to confirm the existence of the disease, but the diagnosis is based on the patient’s history, neurological and general examination.

Today, April 11, we celebrate the effort and research work that has made it possible for us to have therapeutic weapons to fight this disease.

There are multiple oral or subcutaneous drugs, including therapies with continuous infusion pumps and intracranial stimulation surgery, which are effective in alleviating the symptoms of the disease. There is a demand for greater awareness of society towards those affected and greater investment of public and private resources for the continuous development of treatments and the possibility of reaching a cure that can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

The Movement Disorders Program Team of the Neurology Department of the Ruber Internacional de Madrid is directed by the Dr. Monica KurtisShe is a neurologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to movement disorders. It has a Unit of Functional Movement Disorders directed by the Dr. Isabel PareésThe Neuro-rehabilitation Unit, a pioneering unit in Spain, and the Neuro-rehabilitation Unit, where we have a large group of specialists dedicated to the rehabilitation of patients with neurological disorders.

If you are interested in receiving information about our consultations and treatments, please contact us.