Degenerative disease: answer questions about Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s – 11/15/2023 – Balance and Health

With the aging of the population, there is an increasing need to discuss topics such as how to reach one hundred years of age and what are the early signs of cognitive decline.

Furthermore, according to the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), it is estimated that dementia will affect 2.78 million people by 2030 and, by 2050, more than 5.5 million Brazilians aged 60 or more living with dementia.

So, when you think about Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, what questions come to your mind?

Below, we try to answer some possible questions.

Are Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s curable?
You probably already know, but it’s worth highlighting: they are two different diseases.

None of them, so far, have a cure. With medication, however, it is possible to alleviate and, to some extent, reduce how quickly these conditions progress.

“Alzheimer’s disease is a paradigm shift. You have to offer the patient quality of life. I can stabilize it or I can at most slow it down”, says Ivan Okamoto, neurologist at Albert Einstein Hospital.

Furthermore, research continues and new drugs have been approved, as recently occurred for Alzheimer’s.

What are the possible treatments?
For both diseases, treatments involve the use of medications.

In the case of Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia in the world, there are different types of medication that can be taken in tablets or even administered through a patch on the skin.

For Parkinson’s, medications seek to replace dopamine. And there is more. “Guide physical activities, rehabilitation activities. This is absolutely crucial. Physical activity is known to be neuroprotective”, points out André Felício, neurologist at Albert Einstein Hospital. The specialist also points out the possibility of surgical treatment of the disease, but in a non-invasive way, using ultrasound.

Are they genetic problems? Is there any way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease? What about Parkinson’s?
Scientists already know some genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Pay attention to the word “increase.” Having genes that increase or decrease the risk of a health issue does not necessarily mean a sentence, a certainty that a problem will happen or not. Despite this, there is strong heredity in Alzheimer’s, that is, it is worth more attention if there are relatives or parents with the disease.

A recent case brought the issue to prominence. Actor Chris Hemsworth, from Marvel’s “Thor” and “Avengers” film franchises, took a genetic test and found a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Ivan Okamoto, a neurologist at Albert Einstein Hospital, comments that he recently received a worried mother after her teenage son underwent a genetic test that found a higher risk of the disease. “Why did you ask for this exam?” asked the specialist. “It just increases the risk.”

In any case, there is a central risk factor for Alzheimer’s and other dementias: aging. Despite this, there are life factors that can influence dementia.

And here, get ready, you will read exactly what you have already read in several other places: leading a healthy life can help prevent dementia.

In other words, actions that may seem distant from the idea of ​​dementia and, consequently, Alzheimer’s disease, can, in the end, considerably reduce the chances of developing these conditions. And “considerably” has a large size in this context. A study published in the scientific journal Lancet estimated that around 40% of dementia cases would be associated with 12 modifiable risk factors.

In this way, the prevention of dementia could occur by minimizing diabetes, treating hypertension, preventing head trauma, stopping smoking, reducing air pollution, reducing obesity in adult life, doing frequent exercise, reducing the occurrence depression, avoiding excessive alcohol use, treating hearing problems, maintaining frequent social contact, and education (here considered as study).

In the case of Parkinson’s, there is evidence that points to possible benefits of physical exercise — that is, do exercise, it will be good for you in one way or another. And, as mentioned above, physical activity is also part of Parkinson’s treatment.