2023-04-11 16:43:04
► 270,000 people affected
Parkinson’s disease ranks second among neurodegenerative pathologies, behind Alzheimer’s. In total, in France, 270,000 people are affected. The number of Parkinson’s patients is growing very rapidly: 2.5 times more cases have been identified over the past 25 years. A further increase of 30% is expected by 2030, according to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
► Young people increasingly concerned
Every year, 25,000 French people learn that they are sick. If the disease generally occurs with age, and is declared mainly between 85 and 98 years, the youngest are now more affected. Thus, 20% of patients in 2023 will be under 60 years old.
The reasons are many. In 10 to 15% of cases, Parkinson’s disease in the youngest is explained by a genetic predisposition. Environmental factors also play a role.
► Different symptoms
Trembling of the limbs at rest, slowness of movement and rigidity of the body are the three main symptoms, qualified as “motors”, of Parkinson’s but more than 60 are listed for this disease.
Nearly 70% of patients thus suffer from “non-motor” symptoms such as sleep problems, loss of smell, cognitive disorders, pain, depression, etc. The latter sometimes even appear before the “motor” symptoms.
The diagnosis is tricky because there is still no biological analysis or imaging examination that can establish with certainty an assessment that can only be made by a neurologist after a series of clinical tests.
The disease is progressively disabling. The patient is first in the early phase, the stage where the parkinsonian signs are unilateral, then in the complicated phase when the attack is bilateral. Finally comes the late phase, when the patient is no longer independent and must use a wheelchair or be bedridden.
► Unknown causes
Scientists still don’t know for sure what causes Parkinson’s disease. Several hypotheses exist. The researchers believe that it is a mixture of genetic dispositions and favorable environmental factors.
Thus, about twenty genes are associated with monogenic forms of the disease and nearly a hundred variants have been detected which increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s.
At the same time, several environmental risk factors promote the onset of the disease: the role of exposure to pesticides or certain metals has been documented. Parkinson’s is also part of the table of occupational diseases in the agricultural regime since the risk is increased for farmers exposed to organochlorine type insecticides.
► No treatment that cures
There is currently no treatment to cure Parkinson’s disease, but drugs (including L-dopa, the standard treatment) are available to treat the symptoms and improve them for a fixed period.
However, drugs do not treat non-motor symptoms, for which non-drug rehabilitation approaches (physical exercise, physiotherapy) are preferred.
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