April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month – Learn About the Disease and Latest Advancements

(St. Petersburg, Fla.) April 27, 2010 – If you could step into the shoes of a person affected by Parkinson’s disease, what would you expect to see or feel?

Imagine shaking, slowness of movement, stiffness, difficulty with balance, changes in handwriting and speech, stiff facial expression and shuffling walk – as they are all symptoms of Parkinson’s, according to the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF). For more than the 1.5 million Americans diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, these symptoms greatly affect their lives, work, independence and more.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the brain that results in dopamine depletion in the nigrostriatal pathway. Dopamine is a chemical that relays messages in the brain to control movements of the body.

Patients are diagnosed with PD based on the presence of at least two of three cardinal symptoms: Tremor, Rigidity or Bradykinesia (or slowed ability to start/stop movement).

This tragic and sad disease robs many of their lives – trapping them in the body of an uncontrollable environment, meanwhile their minds operate as normal. Just as we see the case with Michael J. Fox.

So, how does someone get Parkinson’s? Is Parkinson’s hereditary? What is it caused by? How does one care for a loved one with Parkinson’s? These are common concerns that many often question.

“Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people,” says David McKalip, M.D., neurosurgeon. “Meaning, people will endure the disease for 20 or more years from the day they were diagnosed. It’s a shocking reality but it doesn’t mean life can’t go on.”

“It’s important to live well, meaning, if you have PD – maintain a healthy diet, make lifestyle changes that creates for a comfortable home and environment. Keep moving, stay groomed and live as you would before the disease,” said Dr. McKalip.

So what happens after being diagnosed with PD?

Treatment – Since there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, therapy is directed at treating the symptoms that are most bothersome to an individual with Parkinson’s disease. For this reason, there is no standard or “best” treatment for Parkinson’s disease that applies to every patient. According to the National Parkinson’s Foundation, treatment approaches include medication and surgical therapy. Other treatment approaches include general lifestyle modifications (rest and exercise), physical therapy, support groups, occupational therapy and speech therapy. NPF records that recent studies have implicated that a treatment is better than no treatment. In other words, medications and therapies may modify the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

New advancements – Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
Since the advent of anti-Parkinson’s medication aimed at the dopamine system, patients with Parkinson’s are living longer and more functional lives. Unfortunately, at some point the medication can’t treat the symptoms of this progressive disease or side effects develop. That is when deep brain stimulation to control cardinal symptoms of Parkinson’s can help. In general, deep brain stimulation is a valuable treatment that can restore function to patients who can’t gain relief with medications.

DBS is performed with the patient awake and with local anesthesia. During surgery the implanted electrode is turned on and the patient’s tremor or rigidity usually disappears in the OR before the patients eyes! The electrode is secured to the head with a special cap and placed under the skin until the next phase of surgery.

Patients spend one night in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit and nearly all go home the next day. They return in a week to have the generator placed in the subclavian area (chest). This generator is connected to the brain electrode with an extension cable tunneled under the skin behind the ear. The patient goes home the same day and two weeks later the generator is turned on by the neurologist in the office. The surgical team neurologist performs the initial set of programming to achieve early symptom relief.

“Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s disease has restored function and happiness to the lives of many patients in my practice,” says McKalip. “It’s great to provide new life and hope to PD patients. With much research and awareness, it will be even better when PD is a thing of the past.”

About Dr. McKalip: David McKalip, M.D. is a Board-Certified Neurological Surgeon of the brain and spine. He has served as the President of the Florida Neurosurgical Society and on the Quality Improvement Committee of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and currently serves on the board of the Florida Medical Association. His practice is located at 1201 5th Avenue North, Suite 210 in St. Petersburg, FL. For more information about Dr. McKalip, contact him at (727) 822-3500 or visit www.mckalip.yourmd.com.