Treatment of Parkinson's Disease in Germany

For people with Parkinson's disease, treatment usually involves the use of drugs that help minimize movement problems and control symptoms. Parkinson's disease, a brain disease, can also be better managed through certain changes in lifestyle. Since many drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease can cause serious side effects, patients often seek alternative treatment options.

The Importance of Treating Parkinson's Disease

If Parkinson's disease goes its course, the nerve cells responsible for producing dopamine (a chemical in the brain that helps control muscle movements) slowly die off. As more and more such cells are destroyed, the patient suffers from a loss of muscle function. But the passage of a course of treatment for Parkinson's disease can make it possible to better control the following symptoms:

• problems with movement;

• difficulty swallowing;

• imbalance and gait;

• muscle pain and pain throughout the body;

• stiff neck;

• Shake;

• Slow speech.

Those in need of treatment for Parkinson's disease can also help reduce the risk of complications, such as depression, sleep problems , trouble urinating, constipation, and sexual dysfunction.

To find the best treatment for Parkinson's disease, various studies are continuously undergoing.

Recent studies in Germany have made significant progress. There is a very real hope that the causes of this disease, whatever they are, genetic or ecological, will be determined, and that the consequences of these causes will be prevented from functioning of the brain.

Researchers continue to develop new methods for treating Parkinson's disease, a treatment that will give real hope to people suffering from this disease.

What types of genetic research are carried out?

Researchers are studying genes that encode proteins responsible for the production of dopamine. With an increase in the amount of dopamine in the brain, Parkinson's symptoms can be minimized if not prevented.

What are the other types of treatment?

• Medical treatment. Researchers are studying drugs that block the action of glutamate, amino acids that destroy nerve cells, and the role of the antioxidant Coenzyme Q-10 in slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease.

• Growth factor of neurons. Preliminary studies have shown that neuronal growth factor (a chemical that stimulates nerve growth) resuscitates dormant cells necessary for the production of dopamine, greatly reducing the symptoms of the disease.

Deep stimulation of the brain. Studies are underway to better understand the effect of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease. Researchers are also studying advanced ways to stimulate the brain.

The Center for the Control of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Germany covers the entire range of movement disorders and problems with Parkinson's disease. The centers are managed by highly qualified specialists in the field of neurology.

Specializations of the Center in diagnosis and treatment:

• Tremor
• Dyskinesia
• Two-Point Problems
• Freezing
• Violation of gait
• Dystonia, such as torticollis and blepharospasm
• Multiple systemic atrophy
• Supranuclear halfparalysis of the glance
• Corticobasal degeneration
• Dementia with Levy bodies
• Normal pressure hydrocephalus
• Spasticity and Spastic Syndrome

Specialization of treatment:

• New variants of drug treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease

• Treatment of depression and dementia in patients with Parkinson's syndrome

• Apomorphine injections and infusion therapy (APOgo), and duodenal L-DOPA continuous infusion (Duodopa)

• Definition and optimization of deep brain stimulation ("brain pacemaker") and therapy with intrathecal Baclofen

• Botulinum toxin therapy ("BOTOX") to prevent dystonia (torticollis, blepharospasm, etc.), seizures and salivation in patients with Parkinson's disease

• Video-equipped treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease (hospitalization).