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Health Conditions / Movement disorders / Parkinson’s Disease

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson’s is a movement disorder that affects more than 1.2 million people in Europe and over 10 million people worldwide.

It is characterised by a continuous decline of dopamine-producing cells in the motor region of the brain, resulting in symptoms like tremors, slow movement, rigidity, and postural instability. It is both progressive – meaning it advances over time – and degenerative.

Dopamine is an important chemical substance that regulates movement. Its decline in Parkinson’s reduces patients’ ability to control or initiate movement.

Parkinson's Symptoms

There are many different symptoms associated with Parkinson's. These symptoms usually develop gradually and are mild at first. The order in which these develop, and their severity is different for each individual.1

Motor symptoms can make the activities of everyday life challenging.

Tremor icon
Tremor
Speech problem icon
Speech Problem
Postural instability icon
Postural Instability
Rigidity icon
Rigidity
Non-motor symptoms: Even though Parkinson’s is a movement disorder, the non-motor symptoms can have just as big as an impact on your quality of life.
Postural instability icon
Fatigue
Speech problem icon
Insomnia
Depression or mood problems Icon
Depression or mood
problems
Speech problem icon
Pain

Parkinson's Treatment

If you’re living with Parkinson’s, you know all too well how the disease disrupts your life. Losing the ability to perform simple, everyday tasks limits your independence and can strain your relationships.

Although medication could help you manage your symptoms, it may become less effective overtime and doses may be increased. New medications can be added such as levodopa, a common medicine used for Parkinson’s. But the increasing side effects of these medications sometimes feel even worse.

Luckily, medication isn’t your only treatment option. At Boston Scientific, we offer a unique, personalized therapy that can put you on the path to a better tomorrow. It’s called Deep Brain Stimulation, or simply DBS.

Discover how Deep Brain Stimulation therapy works

Discover how Deep Brain Stimulation therapy works
  • Always speak to your clinician to see if this could be a treatment for you.
  • To be accepted for DBS surgery, your specialist team will advise you to be aerobically fit as you can be.


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