Parkinson’s cases in Brazil are expected to double in the coming decades, from about 500,000 to 1.2 million in 2060, according to a Brazilian study published in April in Lancite Regional Health. Researchers at Rio Grande de Sol (UFRGS) and other institutions estimated from data from nearly 10,000 people in all regions of the country.
Despite this perspective, condition It also concludes that the disease is still suffering from a lack of diagnosis in its early stages, indicating the need to improve the condition of the condition and increase access to treatment.
S. Parkinson It is a neurological disease caused by the degeneration of cells responsible for dopamine production, the neurotransmitter involved in motion stimuli. The main danger factor is agingBut studies also indicate a link with excessive exposure to some chemicals, such as some solvents.
Initially, he appears from tremors, slow movements, and muscle stiffness, among other symptoms. Diagnosis is a clinical, as there is no specific examination capable of discovering the disease, and it is progressive and has a slow development.
Although there is no treatment, treatment can help maintain symptoms under control. In the early stages, therapeutic behavior is performed with medications to provide a lack of dopamine, as well as physical activity, physical therapy, and in some cases, speech therapy sessions.
However, after about seven or eight years, depending on each individual, job restrictions begin to appear. “There can be a major impact on the quality of life, and the person is often active, for example, at this stage, advanced treatment is discussed,” explains the neurologist Robbins Corrie of Israel Hospital Albert Einstein.
For those who no longer respond to clinical treatment, there are some treatment options, which should take into account the stage of the disease and the definition of each patient. Learn more about her:
1. DBS (deep brain stimulation or deep cerebral stimulation)
This surgical technique has been around for about 20 years and has a great effectiveness in controlling slowness and tremors. The procedure includes the implementation of poles in specific areas of the brain, one on each side.
It is linked to a type of heartbeat implanted in the patient’s chest. This device emits an electrical discharge that adjusts the nucleus of the sick cells, which regulates the signs that produce symptoms.
In addition to the event, one of the advantages of this technique is to regulate density according to symptoms – with the progress of the disease, it is possible to control the drainage. On the other hand, because it is a surgery, it can be contraindicated by some people, such as the elderly or with clinical complications.
2. HIFU high -intensity ultrasound (HIFU)
It is the high -density ultrasound referred to to control both Parkinson and a picture called basic reflux. It enhances an immediate improvement of these symptoms, about 70 %. This technique reached Brazil in 2025, but was approved in the United States since 2017.
Unlike the DBS, this procedure is less frightening. The patient is placed on a magnetic resonance imaging machine using a type of helmet (for this, it is necessary to scrape all the hair). With the help of photo exams, it is planned to intervene in the exact location in which the cells are changed.
During the procedure, ultrasound waves are applied at a specific point of the brain, Talamus, responsible for tremors. The goal is to cause a small thermal injury 4 mm that removes the “short circle” that causes the tremor. This process lasts about three hours and is done with the patient’s agreement without general anesthesia. The height occurs on the same day.
One side treatment, that is, if the individual has shakes on both sides of the body, he can hold an additional session on the other side after at least nine months.
However, this technique is not a treatment for the disease, and does not eliminate symptoms such as hardness and slowness. Although most of them in the long run continue to control, they can return. “This depends on the development of the disease and the person. It may also not improve as much as the patient wants,” Curie says.
In addition, due to inflammation at the site of the injury, a person may face difficulties in balance. There may also be pain, nausea, tingling, changing speech and weakness. In the vast majority of cases, the side effects are acceptable and passengers.
3. Treat dopamine pumping
This treatment is nothing more than pumping the current medicine through a skin bomb that constantly release doses. It has been indicated that the output of individuals with fluctuations of symptoms, and alternate periods are called on E on.
“Oral medicine has an effect, but then it falls. These patients can take advantage of this continuous treatment.” Although it was issued in the United States in 2024, it has not yet been approved by the National Health Control Agency (AnVisa).
