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All doctors and possibly all patients should know what can mimic Parkinson’s disease. There are more than 30+ diseases that produce similar similar symptoms. These mimics may cause Parkinson’s misdiagnosis. For example, hypothyroidism also produces slowness of movements. Therefore hypothyroidism can be misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. The treatment is different for each of these conditions. … Read more
A lot of people are anxious about the Coronavirus / Covid epidemic. There is a lot of misinformation about the effect of Covid on Parkinson’s patients. Here is an excellent collection of information on the topic, from reliable sources. In summary: The risk of getting the infection is almost certainly not higher in Parkinson’s patients. … Read more
Diseases which look like Parkinson’s disease, but have additional features are called “Parkinson’s Plus” syndromes. You can read more about Parkinson’s Plus Syndromes here. Multiple System atrophy (MSA) is a Parkinson’s Plus syndrome. In MSA, a component of our nervous system called the “Autonomic Nervous System” is also affected. This causes problems in body functions … Read more
Certain medications block dopamine activity in the brain. If you don’t have Parkinson’s, they may cause Medication Induced Parkinsonism (also called “drug-induced parkinsonism”). If you have Parkinson’s disease, they can worsen your symptoms. In this condition, Levodopa is not very useful. This is because the sites where levodopa normally attaches are blocked by these nefarious … Read more
At present, we do not have a Miracle Cure for PSP. But that does not mean that a cure will never be available. Diseases such as Hepatitis-C were incurable. They now have cures. We should keep ourselves healthy for the future. Some medications may decrease symptoms. Also, non-medication treatment is essential. Non-medication treatment includes swallowing … Read more
(Brand names in India: Syncapone, Entacom plus) How do Entacapone & Tolcapone act? Entcapone is a friend of levodopa. It prevents the breakdown of levodopa by inhibiting an enzyme called COMT. The name of the enzyme is not important, what is important is that entacapone protects levodopa. Therefore, it makes the levodopa stay longer in the … Read more
India Today Magazine - 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Outlook India Magazine - 2021, 2023
Ex-Assistant Professor, University of Alabama, USA
