4 tips to navigate Parkinson’s disease

You may have heard about Parkinson’s disease, but do you know what it actually is? What causes it, what are the symptoms, and can it be cured?

“Parkinson’s disease is a disease that affects brain cells called neurons in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra,” explained Ahmad El Kouzi, MD, a neurologist with Endeavor Health Medical Group. “These cells secrete a chemical substance called dopamine. When dopamine levels get low, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease appear.”

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by specific symptoms, including:

• Bradykinesia (slow movement)
• Rigidity or stiffness
• Tremors
• Gait and balance problems

While it is disabling, Parkinson’s disease is not fatal. “Many patients live with this disease for a long time,” said Dr. El Kouzi. “It's not uncommon for patients to live decades with this disease.”

Unfortunately, Parkinson’s disease cannot be cured — but, the symptoms can be treated. “While there aren’t interventions yet to slow down, stop or cure this disease, we can provide patients with symptom management,” explained Dr. El Kouzi.

Four ways doctors help manage Parkinson’s disease symptoms include:

1. Pills or injections. Patients with tremors and slowness of movement can be given extra dopamine through pills or injections to treat their symptoms. “Many patients respond well to these interventions and their quality of life improves,” said Dr. El Kouzi.
2. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. There are also advanced therapies for Parkinson’s disease, including a brain surgery called deep brain stimulation surgery. During the procedure, surgeons place a pacemaker in the patient’s chest with a wire that runs into the patient’s brain. The wire conducts electricity to the brain within certain targeted areas, which can improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
3. Dopamine pumps. Unfortunately, some Parkinson’s patients also experience gastroparesis, a condition where the stomach is weak and does not work well. Because of this, when some Parkinson’s patients take their medication, the pills stay in the stomach rather than traveling to the intestine. That’s why in 2015, the FDA approved pumps that inject dopamine directly into the intestine, bypassing the stomach. “Many patients with advanced Parkinson's disease get a lot of benefit from these pumps,” said Dr. El Kouzi.
4. Addressing comorbidities. There are some comorbidities, or “non-motor” symptoms, that patients with Parkinson's disease may experience. These include depression, anxiety, hallucinations, cognitive impairment and sleep issues. “These non-motor symptoms are often under-recognized, unfortunately,” said Dr. El Kouzi. “It's important to address these issues and make sure patients are getting the help they need.”

At Endeavor Health, Dr. El Kouzi says neurologists take a comprehensive approach to care for patients with Parkinson's disease. “We assemble a team to care for each patient,” he explained. “We have a dedicated physical occupational and speech therapy program, neuropsychologists, movement specialists, and psychiatrists who specialize in patients with Parkinson's disease.”

According to Dr. El Kouzi, researchers are not only finding better interventions to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease — they are also studying the cause of the disease, which may lead to better treatments and possibly, one day, a cure.

“Treatments for Parkinson’s disease are evolving fast,” he said. “With more advanced therapies available and with more research on the origin of the disease, I think the horizon is very bright.”