KARACHI: Parkinson’s disease has emerged as a major neuro-degenerative disorder in the country with around 80 to 100 people diagnosed with the condition on regular basis, senior neurologists here on Tuesday said.
Addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club, experts through the platform of Movement Disorder Society of Pakistan (MDSP) warned that a number of people inflicted with Parkinson’s disease and associated movement disorder may reach the figure of 1200,000 by 2030.
Eminent neurologists including MDSP President Dr Nadir Ali, Prof Dr Shaukat Ali, Dr Naila Shahbaz, Dr Khalid Sher and Dr Abul Malik along with Haroon Bashir suffering from Parkinson’s disease spoke on the occasion.
Like many other non-communicable diseases in the country, Parkinson’s too is spreading at an alarming rate, said Dr Nadir Ali.
“It is feared within next 14 years, the number of patients with the neurological movement disorder, presently registered to be around six hundred thousand people (600,000) will double by 2030,” he said.
It was mentioned many of the cases were not even reported due to lack of facilities in certain parts of the country.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people and decelerates the movement of the person while his or her hands start shaking and trembling.
“Symptoms of the disease among most of the sufferers take years to develop and many of them live with the disease for without any significant problem or disruption in their normal life pattern,” Dr Nadir Ali concluded.
