About 78 per cent of elderly Nigerians at risk of Parkinson disease – Experts

A physiotherapist, Professor Matthew Olaogun, has said that at least 78 per cent of Nigerians, 60 years and above stand the risk of having Parkinson’s disease.

He said this on Tuesday during the 7^th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Association of Clinical and Academic Physiotherapists of Nigeria, held at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State.

According to him, there was a need for those showing symptoms of the disease to quickly consult health personnel for the disease to be handled early.

Olaogun, who was the keynote speaker at the conference, said that the disease is genetic and age-related.

He said, “Most people have it when they are above 60 years. A good percentage of Nigerians who are above 60 years old are at the mercy of the disease.

“The cause can be genetic but what caused it in their ancestor is yet to be known. Contamination of water through blacksmithing or mining can cause it.

“It is important for people to identify it and report it to medical personnel. Some people will lock the patients inside the house instead of reporting it.

“The symptoms include shaking of hands, inability to use hand properly. Don’t keep them indoors or at prayer centres.

“When walking seems difficult, report them. It has no cure but can be tackled early so that the conditions will not get worse.”

He urged Nigerians to report any abnormalities in the movement of their bodies to a physiotherapist.

In a speech, the National President of ACAPN, Dr. Chris Okafor, said that the conference was to discuss innovations in research on physiotherapy medical rehabilitation.

He said that the theme of the conference is “Recent advancements in movement disorders”.

According to him, some people attribute Parkinson’s disease to a lot of myths, spiritual attacks and strokes.

“Parkinson’s disease is not stroke or spiritual attack. So, we are here to talk more about it and create more awareness so that people will know more about it.

“Apart from professionals from physiotherapy, we have allied medical fields and students as well. Parkinson’s and stroke are both neurological conditions,” Okafor explained.

According to him, the two conditions affect the brain and things around the neurological system but they are not the same, adding, “Because of one problem in the brain, one may have a stroke.”

He further said that although both conditions are age-related, they do not affect children except in a few cases.

“It is higher in those people with higher age, from 60. So the older a person is, the more likely he can have a stroke or Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson presents weakness of muscles – the person does not walk properly,” Okafor said.

He charged Nigerians to make their health a priority, adding that there was a need for regular physical exercise.

“Slumping is stress-related. There is stress in the country. Many people are thinking about different things, while some are not eating well.

“People should take care of themselves, eat good food see physiotherapists and, more importantly, engage in physical activity,” Okafor said.

According to him, people do not need money to engage in physical activities but there is a need to consult a physiotherapist to know which particular exercise is ideal.

“Exercise is key because the cause is not particularly known. So, in the management of Parkinson’s disease, neurologists and physiotherapists are very important,” Okafor said.

Also, the Vice Chancellor of UNIMED, Professor Adesegun Fatusi, said he was glad to host the conference, considering that the association constituted an integral part of the health workforce.

Fatusi said that there was a possibility of getting Parkinson’s disease as one gets older, adding that medical students are expected to know more about the disease as the country has an ageing population.

He said that the current medical personnel should know what is the latest about the disease and that “as a country, we should know what to do to address it”.

Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Health Matters, Professor Dayo Faduyile, said the state government had introduced physiotherapy medical rehabilitation to its contributory health insurance scheme, noting that the elderly could benefit a lot from the scheme.

(NAN)