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Discovery: The Truth About Parkinson's: Early diagnosis and research

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Early diagnosis and research

14/10/2019 GMT

The Truth About Parkinson's

BBC World Service - Discovery, The Truth About Parkinson's, Early diagnosis and researchSearch BBC

Finding a cure for Parkinson’s. Jane Hill on early diagnosis and repurposing drugs

Finding a cure for Parkinson’s. Early diagnosis, repurposing drugs and genetics all hold promise but Jane Hill  asks would people prefer better treatments now?

James Parkinson described a condition known as the “shaking palsy” over 200 years ago. Today there are many things that scientists still don’t understand explaining why diagnosis, halting the progression or finding a cure for Parkinson’s can seem elusive. But how close are researchers to developing better treatments?

Better understanding seems to suggest that Parkinson’s is not one condition but several, with different causes and symptoms in different people. Many researchers think that early diagnosis and greater recognition of the non motor symptoms such as loss of smell, sleep disorders and depression is to be encouraged, while others say without effective treatments then there are ethical issues to consider.

Jane visits a brain bank and sees the changes in a Parkinson’s brain that causes many of the symptoms and she takes a test which examines the sense of smell. Could this be a new tool to identify early stages of the condition?
 
Plus repurposing of existing drugs, i.e. drugs that have been developed for one condition but being tested in another are having promising results in Parkinson’s and genetic studies are leading to a greater understanding of the mechanisms involved in PD which in turn is leading to new therapies.

(Photo: Man smelling hops in his hands. Credit: Ales-A/Getty Images)

Discovery: The Truth About Parkinson's

With diagnosis increasing as we all live longer, what is it like to live with Parkinson's?

Parkinson’s disease is the only long term neurological condition that is increasing globally. The number of people living with the condition is set to double over the next few decades as we all live longer. Estimates suggest that nine million people by 2030 will be diagnosed worldwide.

To many the image of someone with Parkinson’s often is still that of an elderly person who shakes, but as Jane Hill discovers this picture is out of date: there are many symptoms including loss of smell, sleep disturbances, constipation and mood disorders.

In this series Jane looks at what it means to be given a diagnosis of Parkinson’s. She’ll be exploring whether exercise is the best medicine, and be hearing about the latest research into this hugely complicated condition, that (as an ageing population) more and more of us are going to develop.

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