Parkinson’s study ‘falling behind’

RESEARCH INTO new treatments for Parkinson’s disease is falling behind and in urgent need of extra funding, a charity has warned.

Without greater progress, patients with the progressive shaking disease face a bleak future, according to Parkinson’s UK.

The charity has launched its first public fundraising campaign as it marks 200 years since the disease was first identified by London-based physician James Parkinson. Although some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s are treatable, there is nothing available that can halt or reverse the condition. Famous sufferers include actor Michael J. Fox, Olympic cyclist Davis Phinney, and late boxer Muhammad Ali.

The disease, suffered by around 127,000 people in the UK, has a range of physical effects including tremors, slowness of movement and rigidity, that can impact on almost every area of a person’s life.

It is also associated with “hidden” symptoms such as poor sleep, depression and dementia.

Speaking at the start of the “We Won’t Wait” campaign, Parkinson’s UK chief executive Steve Ford said: “In the past 200 years we have made many strides forward, but people with Parkinson’s are still waiting for a treatment that can tackle the condition head on.

“Parkinson’s can leave people struggling to walk, talk and sleep. Today, we say we won’t wait any longer.

“That’s why Parkinson’s UK is spearheading, with the expertise of the research community and the support of those living with Parkinson’s, the step change needed to deliver better treatments and a cure faster.

“But we can’t do this alone. That’s why we’re urgently asking people to donate, in our first ever public fundraising campaign, whatever they can to support our vital work.

“We won’t tolerate Parkinson’s treatments falling behind.”

The main drug prescribed to people with Parkinson’s, levodopa, has not changed in more than 50 years.

A survey of 4,149 British adults commissioned by Parkinson’s UK revealed a “shocking” lack of awareness about the disease, said the charity.

Almost half of those questioned were unsure whether the disease could be prevented, or whether this was even possible.

Four in five incorrectly thought there was no limit to the amount of time Parkinson’s drugs remained effective for patients, or were unsure.

Three in five wrongly believed that Parkinson’s medication does more than mask or ease symptoms.

The average age at which people are diagnosed with the disease is 62, but it can strike earlier.

Parkinson’s sufferer Carolyn Ibberson, 49, of Bradford, was diagnosed in 2013 with Parkinson’s at the age of 46. She said: “A cure would give me my life back.

“I’m turning 50 this year and Parkinson’s has already taken 10 years of my life. I never expected my life to turn out like this and it feels like my freedom has been stolen.”

Another sufferer, John Hinson, 55, of North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, said: “All I want is to be able to control the condition so I can have a better quality of life.

“Research is something I’m very interested in and I often go to research lectures on Parkinson’s to find out as much as I can. It’s top on the list of priorities for Parkinson’s. We need to raise money for research. We need to find a cure.

“A cure to me would be fantastic. It would mean a new world and a new life.”

“A cure to me would be fantastic. It would mean a new world.” John Hinson, who has Parkinson’s