Parkinson's disease - Causes, Treatment & Symptoms

Parkinson’s disease is a type of brain disorder that affects the proper functioning of the nervous system and other parts of the human body. This disease occurs when there is a drop in dopamine levels due to the nerve cells getting damaged. It is found that people who are above the age of 60 years are affected by Parkinson’s disease and can get chronic diseases if not treated at the right time. Moreover, in order to spread awareness about World Parkinson’s Day, every year April 11th is celebrated as World Parkinson’s Day so that people around the world are educated about this critical illness. Also, the risk of Parkinson’s disease increases with passing age.

Some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include the following:

• Slurred speech
• Imbalanced posture which makes it difficult to stand properly and walk
• Loss of coordination
• Inability to write or micrographia
• Abnormal shaking of hands
• Inability to blink your eyes and smile properly, thus reducing the overall facial expression
• The shorter movement also known as bradykinesia makes performing usual activities in a greater time
• Memory issues
• Tremor affects the limbs, hand, or foot
• Stiffness of muscles in arms, legs, etc

Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease

It is easy to diagnose Parkinson’s disease based on the above-listed symptoms. Generally, tremor is the first symptom of Parkinson’s disease and there are no specific tests or X-rays that are helpful in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. However, PET or Positron Emission Tomography can be helpful in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

The matter of fact is that Parkinson’s disease is not curable. However, with regular medication and physiotherapy, the risks associated with Parkinson’s disease can certainly be reduced. You can focus on therapies that are helpful in improving the movement-related problems associated with Parkinson’s disease. Some of the therapies that are helpful in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease such as Levodopa, Dopamine Agonists, Selegiline, and others. In addition, there are surgeries such as stereotactic surgery in which a metal frame is fixed to the skull, and with imaging, the specific area is treated. Overall, this surgery and other treatment procedures are helpful in relieving the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

In addition to these, you can also adapt lifestyle changes for the right treatment of Parkinson’s disease. You can include a lot of fibre-rich food in your diet and reduce the chances of constipation which is one of the most common in Parkinson’s disease. You should also drink a lot of water and increase a nutrient rich diet. Moreover, you should also perform exercises, only after consulting a medical practitioner.

Is Parkinson’s Disease Covered in Health Insurance?

In order to enjoy coverage for Parkinson’s disease, you must buy critical-illness-specific health insurance plans. While buying a health insurance plan, you must thus check whether your plan provides coverage for Parkinson’s disease or not. With health insurance plans providing coverage for Parkinson’s disease, you can get financial assistance for medical treatment. There are a number of critical illness related health insurance plans listed on InsuranceDekho. You can view all these plans and buy the best-suited health insurance plan that provides coverage for Parkinson’s disease.