Parkinson's disease doesn't always cause shaky hands & early death. Here's busting some common myths

Shaky hands and speech impediments are often the most obvious giveaway of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurodegenerative brain disease. However, that doesn’t mean that these are the only telltale signs of this ailment. Although in India almost 0.58 million people suffer from PD, according to data made public in 2016, there is very little awareness about this disease, which often leaves patients vulnerable to severe judgement and criticism. Their slowness of movement is often thought as an intellectual disability - if they try to mask their facial expression, they are deemed unfriendly, and their tremors are sometimes mistaken as nervousness.

On World Parkinson’s Day, there is a need to acknowledge the information gap that harms individuals living with Parkinson’s disease. Even those who have seen this ailment up-close are often full of misconceptions about it. Therefore, to demonstrate how hard it is to sieve through information present about Parkinson’s disease and know the correct ones let us delve into some of the most common myths about this condition.

Common Belief 1: Parkinson’s Only Causes Body Movement-Related (motor) Problems

Fact: This is not entirely true. Patients living with Parkinson's disease may also experience non-motor symptoms such as depression, sleep disturbances, constipation, a lack of smell, urine incontinence, and dizziness on standing. These are serious 'non-motor' symptoms that need proper attention, treatment, and care along with the more obvious motor symptoms.

Common Belief 2: All Parkinson’s Patients Have Hand Shaking
Fact: The tremor is very common in PD, but 10-15% of patients may not have any tremor at all. These patients may instead have slowness, stiffness of their body parts, walking difficulty and loss of balance as their main problems. Indeed, each patient with PD has different symptoms and no two patients are alike.

Common Belief 3: Individuals Living With PD Either Become Disabled Or Die Early
Fact: This is not true at all. PD is not a fatal disease, unlike a severe heart attack or stroke. Most patients with Parkinson’s if provided early and appropriate neurological care can lead near-normal lives with a near-normal lifespan and manageable symptoms.

Common Belief 4: Parkinson’s Is Only Seen In Old People
Fact: Although the majority of Parkinson's patients are over 60 years old, nowadays it is becoming increasingly common to have symptoms before the age of 40. Do not be surprised if you see someone with PD in their 30s or even in their 20s.

Common Belief 5: Parkinson’s Cannot Run In Family As It Is Not Hereditary
Fact: While this may be true in the majority (80%+) of PD cases, at least 15-20 per cent of Parkinson’s is now considered to be genetic in origin. Several genes are now well known to cause PD and in many members of one family.

Common Belief 6: There Is No Good Treatment For Parkinson’s Disease
Fact: Many treatment options exist that allow patients with Parkinson's disease to live better, or to live near their normal lives when properly treated by PD specialists such as movement disorders neurologists. Various forms of dopamine-altering medicines, physiotherapy, and lifestyle changes all play a big role. In certain individuals with advanced or severe illness, surgery (DBS) can successfully reduce symptoms while also maintaining a valuable quality of life for a long time.

The author Dr Pankaj Agarwal is Senior Consultant – Neurology, Head, Movement Disorders Clinic & In-Charge, Deep Brain Stimulation Program Global Hospital, Mumbai