PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that affects movement. Symptoms generally develop slowly over years.
The progression of symptoms is often a bit different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease.
The first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease emerge when the production of dopamine is considerably reduced.
People with PD may experience:
- Tremor, mainly at rest and described as pill rolling tremor in hands.
Other forms of tremor are possible - Bradykinesia
- Limb rigidity
- Gait and balance problems
Parkinson’s disease generally affects individuals over the age of fifty, the causes of which are not yet fully known. Currently, there is no cure to completely recover from Parkinson’s disease, but there are treatments to improve the quality of life of those living with this disease. One of these is infusion pump therapy, which administers a dopamine agonist drug called apomorphine under the skin. Treatment with an infusion pump reduces the patient’s tremor and typical stiffness, allowing him/her to walk with better movement control. The subcutaneous administration of apomorphine, using suitably programmed portable infusers, has proved effective in controlling the drawbacks of pulsatile therapy and therefore represents an extremely valid and useful therapeutic strategy.