Descriptive epidemiological study on patients with movement disorders, with emphasis on Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Knowing the epidemiological profile is relevant for improving healthcare practices. Movement disorders are neurological disorders characterized by the presence of involuntary movements. They have a negative impact on patients' quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To outline the frequencies of the different diagnoses seen among patients, along with their demographic characteristics, at a hospital in São Paulo (SP), Brazil, and to highlight the clinical aspects of those with Parkinson's disease. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective descriptive epidemiological analysis at a specialized outpatient clinic in a state public hospital in São Paulo. METHODS: Patients treated at this clinic over a four-year period were analyzed. Diagnoses, demographic variables and associations with clinical aspects of Parkinson's disease were evaluated. RESULTS: Out of the 680 medical records analyzed, 58.4% related to females. Most patients were over 60 years of age, white, married and teachers. The most frequent diagnosis was Parkinson's disease, followed by essential tremor and dystonia. Parkinson's disease presented in the mixed clinical form; the most common initial symptom was tremor. The akinetic-rigid clinical form occurred in younger individuals and mostly presented with postural instability and freezing of gait in the early years of disease. CONCLUSIONS: Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia were the most frequent diagnoses. Characteristics like sex, frequency of other pathological conditions and the clinical and demographic aspects of Parkinson's disease were consistent with the data in the relevant literature.

Empagliflozin attenuates neurodegeneration through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and modulation of α-synuclein and Parkin levels in rotenone-induced Parkinson’s disease in rats

“…Although most research has focused on the basal ganglia in Parkinson's disease pathology, some evidence suggests that the cerebellum also contributes to PD related to motor and cognitive decline through the loss of Purkinje cells neurons, which were present in the cerebellum and were responsible for regulating and coordinating movement via releasing of GABA neurotransmitter ( Hasan et al, 2020a , Piras et al, 2021 ). Globally, PD affects 1% of people over the age of 60 and 5% of people over the age of 85 ( Balestrassi and Silva, 2021 ). In Egypt, approximately 2500–2750 per lakh of the population ≥ 50 years suffer from PD attributed to the exposure of a high percentage of the workforce to pesticides in agriculture ( Rösler et al, 2018 ).…”

Single-Molecule Protein Analysis by Centrifugal Droplet Immuno-PCR with Magnetic Nanoparticles

“…Ultrasensitive detection of proteins in complex biological media is crucial for medical diagnostics, biomarker discovery, drug development, etc . For example, in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), protein biomarkers often exist in extremely low levels in the peripheral blood due to the blood–brain barrier. − Quantitative measurements of these biomarkers can be challenging using conventional methods, such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or chemiluminescence. − As a result, current clinical diagnostics of neurodegenerative diseases rely heavily on medical imaging and pathological analysis instead of molecular profiling. − …”