Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any strange movements, stiffness, tremors, or balance problems, you should consult a Parkinson's and movement disorders specialist in Kochi at Aster Medcity. Early consultation might result in a more precise diagnosis and more successful treatment of the ailment.

A neurologist with extensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease and associated movement disorders, such as dystonia, tremors, and Huntington's disease, is known as a Parkinson's and movement disorders expert. To treat these ailments, they apply specialised expertise and frequently use the most recent developments in surgical and medical procedures.

The different abnormal movements are shaking (tremor), stiffness of muscles, slowness and loss of balance (together called parkinsonism), twisted postures (dystonia) abrupt jerks (myoclonus), dance-like flowing movements (chorea) and stereotyped rapid jerks and involuntary sounds (tics). Many diseases that produce movement disorders result from degeneration of brain cells in areas controlling movement and do not have an obvious cause or may be due to a genetic change. These movements can develop as a consequence of injury, infections, inflammation, metabolic disturbances and tumours of the brain or as side effects of certain drugs. Neurologists who are specialists in movement disorders offer diagnosis and treatment for such conditions through dedicated movement disorder clinics.

Movement disorders are a group of diseases affecting the ability to produce and control body movement. Lakhs of people in India lives with movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease. It is the second commonest neurological degenerative disease of the brain after Alzheimer’s disease. Estimates show that 1-2% of people over the age of 60 years develop this condition. 

Parkinson's disease is not curable. Parkinson's disease is initially treated with medicines that relieve the symptoms and enable them to function well. Levodopa is the mainstay of treatment of PD and has been used since the 1960s and gives excellent relief in the first 3-5 years of treatment. With the progression of the disease, the beneficial effects of levodopa reduce and the symptoms of patients fluctuate through the day. These motor fluctuations can be a predictable early wearing off, of the benefits of a dose of levodopa which makes it necessary to take more frequent doses. There can be delayed onset of effect of levodopa or a sudden unpredictable loss of effect of levodopa. Levodopa can also induce dyskinesias which appear as involuntary dance - like flowing movements in the neck, trunk, or limbs. These phenomena occur in about 805 of patients during the course of the disease, within 5-10 years of onset of disease. 

Parkinson's disease usually starts with physical symptoms like:  Tremor, on the one hand Tremors in both hands or limbs Reduces movement  Stiffness to walk Uncoordinated limb movements. Cognitive symptoms Cognitive issues Forgetfulness  Concentration issues.

Parkinson's Disease is a progressive neurological disease caused by degeneration of nerve cells in an area in the brain called the substantia nigra. It is a part of the basal ganglia circuit that controls movements. The cells in substantia nigra produces an important chemical called dopamine required for the normal functions of the basal ganglia circuits which allows us to make the desired type of movements and prevent unwanted movements.  It is estimated that about 7-10 million people have the disease world - wide and about 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. While the risk of a PD increases with age (average age of onset in the early 60s), around 5-10 percent develop the symptoms before the age of 50 and about 1-2 % have other family members affected by the same condition.

Degeneration or date of basal cell ganglia and a part of the brain which releases dopamine can cause Parkinson's disease at a later age. A steep drop in dopamine is responsible for many symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Loss of nerve endings that release norepinephrine, the chemical responsible for many motor actions. The exact cause of Parkinson's disease is not yet known, but scientists believe it to be a combination of hereditary and environmental factors(toxin exposure).  

Physical symptoms of Parkinsonism are: Muscle stiffness Rigid joints Tremors Imbalance  Hunching or stooping Inability to walk.

Parkinson's disease is caused by brain degenerative nerve cells, causing a dopamine drop. In contrast, Parkinsonism can be caused due to several reasons: Side effects of medications  Chronic head injury or trauma Metabolic diseases  After effects of toxins Neurological diseases  Parkinsonism is a group of disorders that mimic symptoms of Parkinson's disease.