The figures show that in Colombia there are four to five cases of Parkinson's per thousand inhabitants, while in the rest of the world the prevalence of the disease is two to three cases for the same number of inhabitants.

Parkinson's is a movement disorder that causes disability in people who, in the fullness of their mental abilities, cannot control tremors and muscle rigidity, which, together with other symptoms, progress to very serious states, something like being trapped in a body that does not obey.

This disease is progressive, which means that the symptoms worsen over the years and mainly affects people's movement due to the dysfunction of the deep structures of the brain responsible for its voluntary control.

The first symptoms of Parkinson's are usually more severe on one side of the body, the patient shows fine tremor of the hand or index finger and thumb, loss of smell, insomnia, constipation, low tone of voice and dizziness. Behavioral alterations may also occur, as patients become irascible, depressed and later muscle rigidity, slowness of movement, difficulty walking and changes in facial expression, among other progressive symptoms, will be evident.

How does it happen?

Despite scientific advances, its causes and how to prevent it are still unknown. It affects both men and women, generally over 65 years of age, although there are also records in younger populations.

The disease occurs when nerve cells in the brain, responsible for producing dopamine, which is the chemical messenger responsible for transmitting the signals that control body movement, are damaged or die, and its deficiency generates the disease.

How is it treated?

Parkinson's cannot be cured, but medications help to control the symptoms effectively by chemically compensating for the dopamine deficiency and helping to make better use of it. However, as the dopamine-producing neurons continue to die, the medication becomes insufficient or its excess can produce adverse effects, both psychogenic and motor, better known as dyskinesias (statistics show that between 20 and 30% of patients do not improve). with medications), which is why deep brain stimulation surgery is proposed, whose objective is the electrical stimulation of the brain structures – subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus – that control the patient's movements and muscular functions, improving motor symptoms ( stiffness, tremor, and slowness) on a 65%.

In this surgery, what we do is place some electrodes in a specific area of the brain and connect them to a generator similar to a pacemaker that is implanted in the patient's chest (near the clavicle), in this way electrical impulses are sent to the brain. to reduce the symptoms of the disease.

This is a technology that allows you to select the area to be treated in a submillimeter manner and during the surgery an analysis of the brain recording is done to confirm that the implanted electrode is in the correct place, fulfilling its function.

Although surgery is an important scientific contribution to improving the quality of life of patients, by itself it does not achieve a total solution, which is why patients must continue with medications, therapies, family support and following medical indications. .

Other treatment strategies include motor stimulation through physical exercise with physiotherapy aimed at improving the gait disorder and the use of medical prototypes such as telephone applications and smart glasses.

This procedure is currently performed at the Foscal International Clinic by a group of specialists made up of a neurologist, neurosurgeon, physiatrist, psychiatrist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and speech therapist.

The 85% cases of Parkinson's are due to unknown causes and those around 10% seem to be related to a hereditary predisposition. In fact, in recent years, according to the World Health Organization, some genes that predispose to the appearance of the disorder have been identified, although only two of them are relatively common.

For this disease there are no curative treatments, but there is a wide variety of medications that the specialist must select in their specific doses and combinations. Curiously, the older the age of onset of the disease, the lower the progression towards total disability.