Parkinson’s disease: recognising symptoms early is key to prompt diagnosis and treatment

April marks Parkinson’s disease Awareness Month, highlighting the need for early recognition of this progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the importance of support groups for patients and caregivers. Though awareness has improved, healthcare providers still find delayed diagnosis a major challenge as symptoms are often overlooked or misunderstood. Identifying the condition early and starting appropriate treatment can help manage symptoms effectively and improve quality of life, they say.

Natesan Damodaran, clinical lead, epilepsy and functional neurosurgery, Rela Hospital, said compared to 10 years ago, the awareness of Parkinson’s disease is definitely getting better. “One of the main challenges that we face is people missing a diagnosis. Some patients may have tremors in the hand, but may think that this is due tof generalised tiredness or generalised nerve weakness. So, by the time they reach a neurologist for a proper evaluation, diagnosis is delayed. As a result, patients too, suffer for long. If diagnosed early, appropriate medications will be prescribed to give them a better quality of life,” he said.