1 in every 100 Thais prone to Parkinson's disease
One in every 100 Thai person is found to be suffering from Parkinson's disease, with the affliction hitting more and more younger people, a Bangkok seminar was told yesterday.
However, Chulalongkorn Hospital’s Dr Rungroj Phitthayasiri did not say if this 1:100 ratio was higher or lower than previous figures, though he did say that Parkinson’s was afflicting more people between the ages of 21 and 40.
He explained that the initial symptoms were usually muscle cramps, and young people often mistook them as general muscular spasms or bone-related illness and sought treatment with orthopaedists. However, he said, if the symptoms were correctly diagnosed at an early stage, it can extend patients’ life by 30 years and reduce the risk of injuries incurred from a fall or a collapse, which sufferers are prone to.
Factors leading to Parkinson’s include constant exposure to insecticide, injuries or hard impact to the head, though exercise is deemed as one of the many preventative measures.
Dr Phawut Mekwichai, from the Maharaj Nakhon Ratchasima hospital, said 74 per cent of 300 Parkinson’s patients treated in a six-month study showed symptoms that manifested at night, which put them at the risk of suffocation, cardiac arrest and subsequent death. He suggested that such patients be turned over every two hours if they are being medicated with relaxants in order to avoid fatal consequences.
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