Number of Parkinson’s patients to double in Pakistan by 2030, experts warn

Karachi

Parkinson’s disease is spreading at an alarming rate in Pakistan and it is feared that within the next 14 years, the number of patients with the neurological movement disorder, now standing at 600,000 people, will double by 2030.

This was stated by renowned neurologist and president of Movement Disorder Society of Pakistan, Dr Nadir Ali Syed, while addressing a news conference in connection with the World Parkinson’s Day at the Karachi Press Club on Friday.

Haroon Bashir, a well-known patient of Parkinson’s disease and the president of Parkinson’s Society of Pakistan (PSP) and Dr Abdul Malik, secretary of Pakistan Society of Neurology, were also present on the occasion.

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people, slowing down movement of a person causing hands to shake and tremble. In most cases, symptoms take years to develop and people live for years with the disease without any significant issue or problem.

“It is unfortunate that we still don't know the exact number of Parkinson's patients in Pakistan, but estimates put the figure at around 600,000. What is even more tragic is that half of these people are not even aware that they have a serious neurological condition that can be treated if proper care is sought,” said Dr Syed. “A person gets Parkinson’s disease when his or her brain slowly stops producing a neurotransmitter called dopamine. With less and less dopamine, a person has lesser ability with time to regulate their movements, body and emotions.”

Dr Syed said difficulty in walking and other bodily movements, or involuntary trembling or stiffness in the body, were some of the early signs of Parkinson’s that could be induced by environmental, genetic, lifestyle and pollutants.

He said sadly no complete cure for the neurological disease had been developed but most of the people who suffered from it could still live a full and healthy life by identifying individual symptoms and determining a proper course of treatment.

He claimed that the disease was largely under diagnosed in Pakistan, where even many physicians did not know about symptoms of Parkinson’s, diagnosis and its treatment. 

Emphasising the need to create more awareness about neurological disorders in Pakistan, Dr Syed said most physicians considered it to be an outcome of old age and were also not aware of symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and management of the disease.

It is worth mentioning that last year Pakistani neurologists had prepared and issued national guidelines for the treatment and management of Parkinson’s disease for neurologists and physicians across the country after it was found that most doctors were not aware of the specific symptoms, protocols for diagnosis as well as the treatment and management of the movement disorder.

Dr Syed further deplored that the number of qualified neurologists having adequate knowledge of Parkinson’s disease was quite few as compared to the growing number of patients in the country.

President PSP Haroon Bashir called for creating awareness about the mental disorder among common people through print and electronic media and urged the government to take steps for training of neurologists and paramedical staff to help provide better care and treatment to patients.

Secretary of Pakistan Society of Neurology, Dr Abdul Malik, urged the government to play its role in enhancing the number of neurologists at teaching and district hospitals in the country saying only trained and qualified neurologists could properly diagnose and treat patients with neurological disorders including Parkinson’s disease.