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More than 70,000 Romanians are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, inform specialists who say that identifying symptoms in the early stages of onset and diagnosing the condition before the manifestations become very visible are essential for effective management.
"These four symptoms, (...) tremor, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia, unstable posture, are the most common motor manifestations of Parkinson's disease. (...) However, given the complexity of the symptoms and the fact that some of the clinical manifestations found in people with Parkinson's may also be associated with other diseases, the presence of the symptoms described does not automatically mean the presence of Parkinson's disease. Therefore, it is recommended that, if the symptoms presented are perceived, we should contact a neurologist as soon as possible, who can provide a complex evaluation in order to establish the diagnosis," explained Bogdan Ovidiu Popescu, neurologist, former president of the Romanian Society of Neurology and pro-rector of the "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, as quoted in a press release issued on the occasion of World Parkinson's Day.
Although it is an incurable disease, medical interventions to control symptoms help limit the impact on quality of life for people with Parkinson's disease as much as possible.
According to experts, the condition is usually diagnosed between the ages of 60 and 65, more commonly in men, who are 1.5 times more likely to develop the disease than women. However, the condition can also develop earlier than 50 years of age, in about 10-20% of cases.
In Romania there is a network of medical centers specialised in treating patients with Parkinson's disease, present in Bucharest and the counties of Bihor, Brasov, Cluj, Constanta, Dolj, Galati, Iasi, Mures, Sibiu, Suceava, Timis.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder with the fastest growing number of people diagnosed worldwide among brain diseases. It is currently the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder (after Alzheimer's disease).
World Parkinson's Day is marked every year on 11 April, bringing to public attention the major impact of this serious neurological condition on sufferers, their families and carers, and society as a whole.
