Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a major breakthrough in treating the disease, may also be available in state.
Dr Rajendra Joshi, 47, can hardly respond to his doctor’s instructions to get up and move. However, when the doctor switched on a pacemaker like device, Joshi instantly got up and started walking normally. Joshi is suffering from Parkinson’s disease for past six years. Dr Paresh Doshi conducted this demonstration in the city before an awestruck audience of 75 invitees. He, along with his team of doctors from Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai has developed Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy to control the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common neurological disorders affecting 22 out of every 10,000 individuals. Believed to be incurable, it usually affects patients above 60 years. However, in recent years, 25% of the cases reported involve younger patients. PD occurs when more than 80% of the cells in the substantia nigra region of the brain die, depriving the brain of a chemical called dopamine, a neurotransmitter that allows communication among brain cells.
Dr Doshi has performed 220 DBS surgeries in the last decade on patients aged between 28 to 84 years at his hospital. He has developed this therapy over the last 12 years but rued the lack of awareness about available treatments among patients. “Around 25% of the patients who opt for DBS come from abroad and avail its benefits at one-fourth the cost they would pay in their home countries,” he said. Dr Sudhir Shah, head of neurology department at Sterling Hospital said, “We have collaborated with Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai to create awareness about this latest therapy in the city. A long-term plan is also underway to bring the DBS facility to the state,” he added.
DBS uses a surgically implanted, battery-operated neurostimulator to deliver electrical stimulation to targeted areas in the brain that control movement. These electrical signals block the abnormal nerve signals, which cause PD symptoms (tremor, rigidity, walking problems, stiffness, and others). The procedure is presently used for patients at an advanced stage. City-based neurology experts believe that DBS will give a new ray of hope to patients with neurological disorders. Dr Varsha Tripathi, paediatric neurologist adds, “The most promising use of this therapy is in treating paediatric patients of dystonic cerebral palsy. It is currently available in developed countries and many like us are waiting for these facilities to become available in the city.”
Dr Rajendra Joshi underwent DBS surgery last year. “I was severely disabled due to the effects of PD and could barely move out of bed. There was severe stiffness, pain and uncontrolled tremors and movements in the body. As the condition worsened and the symptoms were not controlled by oral medicines, I resorted to DBS. After undergoing the surgical therapy, I am able to lead a normal life.” P Dadhania, 61, PD patient from city was completely bedridden and could not change his body posture independently. He experienced severe pain due to stiffness. “I felt caged in an incapacitated body,” he said. He chose to undergo subthalamic nucleus(STN) DBS surgery in which the pacemaker like device is not installed but the brain cells which are affected are medically destroyed with controlled radiation. “After, the surgery I felt an instant relief in pain and could regain control over my body,” he said.
WHAT IS PARKINSON’S
PD is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The disease is named after the English doctor James Parkinson, who published the first detailed description in An Essay on the Shaking Palsy in 1817. The most obvious symptoms are shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with walking and gait. Cognitive and behavioural problems may arise later with dementia commonly occurring in the advanced stages of the disease. Other symptoms include sensory, sleep and emotional problems. PD is more common in the elderly with most cases occurring after the age of 50.
—Wikipedia and The Parkison’s Institute and Clinical Centre
HOW HE SURVIVED
Vimlesh Shah was first patient to undergo STN-DBS surgery in October 1999. He worked as a diamond sorter before he was diagnosed to be suffering from PD at the young age of 33 years. He had to give up work. He was helped by diamond merchants to undertake this innovative surgical option. After he underwent DBS surgery, he became fit to resume work. Now, once again PD has caught up and though he cannot work, he can still live an independent and dignified life.
