A new research study conducted in Italy is making the news today. The study looked at the incidence of pain reported by Parkinson’s patients versus a normal control group. I found this study interesting because it shows that researchers are recognizing that there are symptoms besides motor symptoms that may lead to quality of life issues or may help diagnose the disease easier. In my opinion this study is not a huge breakthrough in that it is not a bug leap closer to a cure, but all new knowledge does help move us collectively closer to the goal of a cure.
The researchers started the study with the hypothesis that pain is associated with Parkinson’s at clinical onset or at some point thereafter. The study divided pain into 2 categories: dystonic and non-dystonic pain. The first type, dystonic, is characterized as painful sensations, often described as cramping or arthritis and is caused by involuntary muscle contractions. Non-dystonic pain is essentially pain with the absence of dystonic pain. What the researchers found was that pain associated with dystonia was statistically higher in PD patients versus the control group. (69.9% vs 62.8%, p=0.04) The researchers also found that non-dystonic pain was not statistically higher for Parkinson’s patients, but the occurrence of non-dystonic pain was correlated to the onset of clinical Parkinson’s.
All of this information is overall interesting even if I don’t see a direct application to immediate better treatments or a cure. To me what this means is that doctors should pay attention to unexplained, dystonic pain and keep Parkinson’s as a possible diagnosis in the back of their minds. I have a feeling that many people with Young Onset Parkinson’s that present with pain as one of their main symptoms will have many tests to rule out a host of other possible causes before a PD diagnosis is made. I have no doubt that going through all the tests must be aggravating to say the least.
To read the abstract of this study from the Archives of Neurology click this link.
http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/65/9/1191
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
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1 comment:
i was diagnosed of parkinson disease 5 years ago,i started azilect,then mirapex as the disease progressed in february last year,and i started on parkinson disease herbal medicine from ultimate life clinic,few months into the treatment i made a significant recovery,almost all my symptoms are gone,great improvement with my movement and balance,it been a year and life has been so good for me,reach them through there website at www.ultimatelifeclinic.com
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