Parkinson's Unity Walk 2019

1. Aga Khan University Hospital Parkinson’s Unity Walk 2019

2. Parkinson's disease is spreading at an alarming rate in Pakistan and • the number of patients with the neurological movement disorder is • now over 450,000. Moreover, a large percentage of patients are • unaware that this disease can be managed if diagnosed in time. • The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) organized a walk to raise awareness about • Parkinson's disease on Sunday, 24February 2019. The event is hosted every year at • the AKUH in partnership with the Pakistan Parkinson's Society (PPS). Parkinson's is a • neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people, slowing • down movement of a person causing limbs to shake and tremble. In most cases, • symptoms take years to develop and people live for years with the disease without • any significant issue or problem.

3. It is necessary to create awareness, regarding this degenerative disease • owing to which patients lose motivation both physically and cognitively. • Anxiety is common amongst Parkinson's disease patients because of the • fear of not remembering things and becoming immobile. • Deep brain stimulation (DBS) can help reduce the symptoms of tremor, slowness, stiffness, • and walking problems caused by Parkinson's disease, dystonia, or essential tremor. • Successful DBS allows people to potentially reduce their medications and improve their • quality of life. DBS is a surgery to implant a device that sends electrical signals to brain areas • responsible for body movement. Electrodes are placed deep in the brain and are connected • to a stimulator device. Similar to a heart pacemaker, a neurostimulator uses electric pulses to • regulate brain activity. Talking on DPS Mr. Ehsan Bari, Assistant Professor Neurosurgery said • "Parkinson's disease is now curable by educating them and through surgery." Dr. Ehsan Bari, • Assistant Professor Neurosurgery.

4. Living withParkinson's disease can be difficult and the condition poses • many challenges, however, there are ways that you can manage it to make • your everyday life more comfortable. "Parkinson's disease patients are close • to our hearts, although its not clinically curable but we can fight this disease • by educating them, so they can have a normal life," said Dr. ShazadSaleem, • Service Line Chief Mind & Brain at AKUH. • There is no Parkinson's specific diet. The goal of nutrition is to achieve good • quality of life by eating nutrient dense foods and addressing all those problems • that inhibit the patient to eat well and achieve nutritional adequacy. • "Good nutrition is inexpensive and with wise steps, balanced diet can be • successfully in cooperated," said Ms. Sidra, Dietician at AKUH.

5. This year, AKUH's Parkinson's Unity Walk also featured panel discussion • by specialists including neurologists, psychiatrists and neurosurgeons. • Experts talked about the methods which are helpful for the patients to • manage this disease. The panel also answered the questions from the • public and delivered consultation at the highly subsized health camp for • PKR 100. • In addition to the quaternary care hospital in Karachi, AKUH has a network of 4 secondary care hospitals, • over 25 Medical Centers, and over 260 Clinical Laboratories in over 115 cities across Pakistan. • It also has a network of pharmacies and offers home healthcare services. AKUH is Pakistan's first Joint • Commission International accredited hospital which is the gold standard in quality and patient safety. • Its clinical laboratories are accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) for fast and accurate lab testing.  ​ You can visit: https://hospitals.aku.edu/pakistan/