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Parkinson's illness has been classified into five stages by Hoehn and Yahr. Their classification is based on the severity of symptoms and the degree of disability the patient experiences.
When prescribing treatment, the neurologist will take into account the stage at which the patient is perceived to be, among other items.
Stage 1 is known as unilateral illness. The term means that only a single side of the physique shows symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
This is deemed an early stage of the illness and may possibly final for many years. Neuroprotective therapy is typical at this stage. This treatment aims to prevent further damage to the nervous system.
Vitamin E was employed at this stage, but a lot of researchers are of the opinion that this is not very successful. A selective MAO-B inhibitor known as Rasigiline has shown promise.
Stage 2 of Parkinson's disease is labeled bilateral illness. Which means, symptoms of Parkinson's now show up on both sides of the body. The illness is deemed to be at Stage 2 even if there is an insignificant symptom (an occasional tremor, for example) on the side of the physique that was symptom-totally free earlier.
Recent therapies at this stage consist of use of dopamine agonists. Till some years ago, dopamine agonists have been used only at later stages of the illness. Presently, researchers are of the view that if such therapy is started earlier, complications from using drugs like Levodopa may possibly not arise at later stages.
The disease is said to be at stage three when symptoms show progression and specially when the patient has difficulty in sustaining their posture. Symptoms at this stage consist of postural instability and falling down.
Traditionally, this is the stage at which dopamine agonists or Levodopa was prescribed, but as mentioned above, some of these drugs are now utilized at earlier stages itself.
Stage 4 occurs when there is an enhance in the severity of symptoms like postural instability and falling. Surgery is a single selection for therapy at this stage. Surgery can alleviate some of the symptoms. Nonetheless, this is usually suggested only for comparatively young patients who are in great well being otherwise.
Stage 5 is the most sophisticated stage of Parkinson's disease. The patient is normally wheelchair bound. Walking is feasible only with help.
Levodopa continues to be a prescribed drug at this stage, along with a COMT inhibitor, which guarantees that the effects final longer. Surgery might also be an option, such as pallidotomy, which destroys a small group of brain cells. This helps avoid the rigidity typically seasoned with Parkinson's illness and may possibly quit tremors as well.
One more attainable therapy is deep brain stimulation, where electrodes are implanted into the brain tissue and stimulated with low level electric currents.
The symptoms of Parkinson's illness progress as the patient moves from one particular stage to the subsequent. Ongoing research is making new remedies like stem cell implants and new drugs. account
