Relief for those with Parkinson's disease
New Straits Times via NewsEdge Corporation :

MORE than 30 Malaysians suffering from Parkinson's disease are now living a better quality of life due to a surgical procedure called deep brain stimulation.
Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the nervous system that causes muscles to become weak and the arms and legs to shake. The deep brain stimulation procedure, available in Malaysia since 2004, provides a relatively safe treatment option with a high degree of success.
Patients who have undergone the procedure have reported a 60 to 90 per cent improvement in their movements and they also need to take a lower dosage of medicine.
But this procedure does not come cheap - the minimum cost is RM80,000 and there is also long-term maintenance.
"Risk is minimal but one must take consider the benefits, especially that of a significantly better quality of life," said Dr Chew Nee Kong, a neurologist at Pantai Cheras Medical Centre.
Not every patient is a suitable candidate and those seeking this treatment should be properly evaluated beforehand, cautions Dr Chew.
"I would advise patients to seek relief through the available drugs first. Resort to surgery after 10 years or so when the drugs are offering little or no extended benefit." This situation occurs when the disease has progressed to a point that it begins to pose severe physical disabilities and drastically reduces activities of daily living, including walking or performing basic chores.
Studies have shown that the patients begin to exhibit attenuation or tolerance to drugs after prolonged periods of medication (about five years), which results in further impairment in their quality of life. "While the procedure has significantly improved dyskinesia and the quality of life, it is however not a cure." "The benefits of the surgery are generally sustained for up to seven years after surgery. It does not cure the disease or stop the progressive loss of brain cells."
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