Indonesia will face an increasing number of people suffering from Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the future because of a growing elderly population and unhealthy lifestyles, a group of neurologists have warned.
PD is a degenerative-nerve disease with symptoms including tremors and slowed movement.
The disease, which normally afflicts those aged over 60 but can occur at any time, also affects speech and other cognitive functions.
“Research at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, revealed that in 2005 as many as 8.5 percent of patients in the neurology section suffered from Parkinson’s disease. This was a significant increase from the previous 2.02 percent in the 2000-2004 period,” Neurologist Banon Suko said at a seminar on memory-loss diseases Saturday.
She said the sudden surge could have to do with a greater public awareness of the disease, prompting people to seek treatment.
“However, it is still a large number,” she said.
Another neurologist Abdulbar Hamid said lifestyle played a major large role in maintaining neurological health.
“People should pay extra attention nowadays to their diet and avoid unhealthy habits like smoking. Stress should also be avoided,” he said.
Banon said between 1990 and 2025, the number of senior Indonesian citizens was expected to rise by over 400 percent.
“From 2015 to 2020, life expectancy for Indonesians will reach more than 70 years,” she said.
“This higher number of elderly people will prompt more neuro-degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.
However, these diseases do not only threaten the elderly,
Banon said.
“According to the Cipto Mangunkusumo research, in 2006 almost a quarter of those suffering from Parkinson’s disease were under 50,” she said.
Banon said research from the last decade showed the symptoms of PD began normally showing in an individual toward the end of their 40s.
The country also still lacked proper PD treatment, she said.
“Not enough people are aware of the disease, and its treatment is often poor.”
For instance, many patients, along with their caretakers, rarely bother to remember the names, let alone contents, of medicines the patients should take,” Banon said.
Caretakers and patients often fall into counterproductive habits that can worsen the disease’s effects, she said.
“For example, patients choose to stay at home and reduce their activity rather than being active, which slows down the disease’s effects,” Banon said. (dis)
