Did you know ?
There are just around 25,000 neurologists in EU. Some regions are better covered than others: depending on the country, there are between 4 and 13 neurologists per 100,000 people.1
To help you find the best help possible, Concilio’s medical team is by your side to help you find the solution to your medical problems.
Parkinson’s disease affects the nervous system and is characterized by the gradual disappearance of neurons that secrete a neurotransmitter called dopamine. The latter is involved in the functioning of many areas of the brain including the basal ganglia. This disease is usually diagnosed between the ages of 55 and 65, but 10% of patients are between 30 and 55 years old.
The causes of Parkinson’s disease are still unknown, but researchers have identified several possible causes:
Regular exposure to certain pesticides would increase the risk of developing the disease by 70%. Organochlorines would be primarily responsible.
Exposure to metals (lead, mercury, aluminum, cobalt, manganese, etc.) has been strongly suspected, but the cause-and-effect relationship has not yet been confirmed or demonstrated.
Other risk factors are also being identified by researchers, including: exposure to toxins (cyanide, glue, paint), a diet low in antioxidants, certain infections (measles, rubella, mumps …) and a genetic predisposition.
Why is it important to obtain the best care when you are ill?
Concilio enables you to access the best healthcare available to you. Our medical team will personally assist you to help you deal with any health issue.
The onset of the disease often goes unnoticed: intense fatigue, tremors, difficulty speaking and performing certain movements, pain (location difficult to determine), reduced smell, etc. Other signs with gradually appear:
Akinesia, which is characterized by slow movement. A patient has a difficult time to start walking. The back bends, the arms remain motionless and the neck becomes stiff. The features of the face are fixed, including the gaze. The patient has more and more difficulty to articulate and speaks in a very monotonous way.
Hypertonia, which is characterized by stiffness of the limbs.
Tremors become more frequent, appear at rest and disappear during movements. They increase during concentration efforts. The tremor can affect the face, chin and lips, and especially the hands.
Loss of balance occurs later than other symptoms. It usually occurs after several years of disease progression.
Psychic disorders: anxiety, depression, irritability …
Sleep and digestive disorders.
The diagnosis is based on the observation of these signs. The brain scanner allows doctors to detect any other diseases. If the signs of the clinical examination are not absolutely typical of the disease, other examinations may be performed: blood tests, lumbar puncture and electroencephalogram.
Medications help improve the patient’s condition, but not cure the disease. At the beginning of the treatment, the patient’s condition improves significantly, and the signs can even disappear completely. This “honeymoon” period lasts several years. However, the effectiveness of the treatment gradually decreases, implying the increase of the dosages, or even the combination of several drugs.
Fiche Parkinson's disease
1736 peer-recommended neurologists have been identified by Concilio
