April 11th is officially marked as World Parkinson’s Day, to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease (PD) globally. It is the fastest growing neurological disease in the world.
PD is clinically manifested by motor symptoms such as hypokinesia, limb tremor and muscle rigidity. However, there are also non-motor symptoms, such as autonomic dysfunction, cognitive disturbances and sleep disorders. PD typically occurs in people over the age of 50-60. However, younger people can get it too, called early-onset PD.
Age is the greatest risk factor for PD. In addition, there is a genetic component to PD, it is estimated that about 30% of PD risk is explained by genetics. Other factors have also been associated with an increased chance of PD. These include head injury and exposure to pesticides. These 3 factors, ie genetics, environment and aging, interact to cause PD. All available medications and therapies aim to ease symptoms and improve quality of life. However, there is still a need to gain new insights into the causes of PD, in order to develop better treatments to improve quality of life or – even better – to slow or stop disease progression.
At STARoDub BV we are committed to support ground-breaking research and the registration of new innovative medicinal products. For more information, please reach out to us.