How many people suffer from Parkinson's disease in Kazakhstan and in the world?

Currently, there are about 5-6 million patients with Parkinson's disease in the world. Accurate data on the epidemiology of this disease in the Republic of Kazakhstan is not available. Therefore, based on the above calculations, it can be assumed that at present in our country there are about 27 thousand patients with Parkinson's disease, and every year they become 1200 more.

Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease

The main symptoms of the disease are:
- Slowness;
- Stiffness;
- Tremor (trembling) at rest;
- Postural instability;
- Sleep disturbance;
- Depression;
- Decreased memory;
- Constipation;
- Violation of urination;
- Sweating;
- Drooling, etc.

Complications in Parkinson's disease.

1. Memory disorders up to dementia, which can develop in the later stages of the disease.
2. Depression and emotional changes. Often, patients, even in the early stages of the disease, suffer from depression, decreased motivation, fear, and anxiety.
3. Sleep disorders in the form of sleep disturbance, superficial sleep, excessive movements in sleep. These are all the so-called non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, which are often more pronounced than motor ones, and which are more difficult to treat and require a special approach.
4. Swallowing disorders due to excessive salivation, which can lead to salivation. There may also be chewing disorders and, because of this, nutritional problems.
5. Constipation experienced by most patients. The reason is a slowdown in bowel movement and digestion of food.
6. Disorders of urination can also manifest themselves in the later stages of the disease, manifested by urinary retention or incontinence.
7. Changes in blood pressure. It happens rarely, but takes a sudden form in the form of orthostatic hypotension.
8. Violation of smell, which, according to many experts, is an early symptom of the disease.
9. Chronic fatigue, the appearance of which cannot be explained by other reasons.
10. Pain, especially in the legs, which is associated with improper muscle tension or impaired innervation.
11. Sexual violations.

Diagnosis in Parkinson's Disease

Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease usually consists in a thorough clinical examination of the patient, identifying specific symptoms, identifying them as the disease progresses, and excluding other symptoms that are unusual for the disease. Unfortunately, there are fewer classical forms of the disease, and the clinical experience of a parkinsonologist, as well as data from additional examinations, is very important.
Usually, all patients undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, even several times over time. Parkinson's disease is not characterized by any gross changes on MRI. Doctors prescribe tomography to rule out other diseases. Of the laboratory research methods, special tests are prescribed that examine metabolic disorders that may be a risk factor for brain damage. However, there is still no specific analysis that could confirm or rule out Parkinson's disease. To diagnose the disease, a levodopa test is necessarily used - a test for the effect of medicinal levodopa on the symptoms of the disease. By conducting this test, the doctor receives very valuable information about the cause of the disease, as well as the possibility of its treatment.
In some cases, it takes time to accurately diagnose the treatment, so the doctor may prescribe additional appointments and monitoring. It is very important to record in writing all the problems that arise during the day in the form of a diary. This gives a great help to the doctor in determining the tactics of treatment.