Saturday, April 17, 2010

WEEKEND VIEW: How Parkinson's Disease Affects Its Victims


PEOPLE with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) all over the world observed their special occasion called, World Parkinson’s Day (WPD), last Sunday.  
Although PD is most prevalent among the older age groups, it can affect anybody.

It has no known cause or cure. But the good and great news is, it is treatable.

Recently I spoke to PD expert Dr Norlinah Mohamed Ibrahim, and asked her how the disease really affects people who have them?

Dr Norlinah is Associate Professor and Head of the Neurology Unit at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (PPUKM) in Cheras in Kuala Lumpur.

She is also a consultant neurologist who specialises in PD and movement disorders and one of several medical advisers to the Malaysian Parkinson’s Disease Association (MPDA) in Kuala Lumpur – the only national non-profit society to help PwP in the country.

Dr Norlinah shared with me some insightful stories of the patients that came to her for help:  

MK was diagnosed with PD when she was 60-years old. She had no idea at first that there was something wrong with her until her friends and her husband noticed it. Her right arm stopped swinging as it used to when she walked.

She also experienced fatigue and tiredness especially towards the end of the day. However, MK was not worried. She simply put it all down as the “inevitable effects of old age”.  

But then, things got worse.

MK became even slower with her chores. What she could previously accomplish in a few hours, took twice as long to complete.

She soon became withdrawn, would seldom smile or laugh at the jokes cracked by her family as she used to.

But when MK’s slowness became even more exaggerated and her hands started shaking uncontrollably every time she became excited or anxious, that was the time when everyone decided to see Dr Norlinah.

“She typically displayed all the features of PD,” says Dr Norlinah who started her on treatment at once.

“Today MK is fortunately able to perform her daily household chores to the best of her ability,” adds Dr Norlinah.

SY who works with the police force is another example.

Before his diagnosis, he experienced leg cramps in the early mornings that would be so painful that it would disturb his sleep.

The private clinic that he consulted was of no help. The doctor failed to spot PD straightaway. Instead he was given vitamins for the cramps.

The cramps only got worse until depression set in that made SY unable to perform his duties.

It was only after SY was correctly diagnosed with PD by a specialist and at the same time treated for his depression that things started to look up for the law enforcement worker – even though he was shocked to have contracted PD at the young age of 40. 

Today with support from his family, and after having accepted his condition, SY is doing all he can to stay on top of the disease.

TP was 55 when she was told she has PD.  Only the left side of her body was affected then. Today, both sides of her limbs have become stiff and slow with frequent tremors.

To reduce these symptoms, TP has to take medication up to 4 times in a day. Missing a dose would bring her symptoms back.

Each dose also wears out earlier and faster than previously. TP’s symptoms also became rather violent, causing uncontrollable ‘twisting movements’ of her neck and her trunk.

What TP only discovered later was that she had developed a condition called ‘dyskinesia’ which is one of the complications of long term treatment with a PD drug called ‘levodopa”.

Because of the embarrassment that the uncontrollable movements caused TP, she would avoid people and isolate herself at home.

“It was only after TP was treated that she started to develop a more positive attitude that makes her a much more cheerful person today,” Dr Norlinah points out.

Finally, KA was only 25 years of age when he was diagnosed with PD.

His is a rare genetic form of the condition. His treatment too began soon after. Today, at 40, KA experiences visual hallucinations, some of which are quite frightening to him.

He sees “people” in his house. Sometimes “they” would come up to him and disturb him, especially at night.

Once, he thought “they” were even trying to harm him so much so he stood at the gate of his house and yelled out to his neighbours for help.

This behaviour made KA’s family serious worry about his safety and that of others. 

“Visual hallucinations, which significantly affect the quality of life of PwP, are common in advanced stages of PD,” Dr Norlinah points out.


“However, with proper adjustments to KA’s medication like starting him on medications specific for his hallucinations, the nightmare episodes reduced or did not last as long, allowing him to function normally.

“These cases provide only glimpses into the real-life battle that each PwP have to go through throughout the progression of the disease,” concludes Dr Norlinah.

For more information about PD, please contact:
Malaysian Parkinson's Disease Association
35 Jalan Nyaman 10, Happy Garden,
58200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel:   03 7980 6685
Fax:  03 7982 6685
E-mail: mpda1@streamyx.com

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