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Parkinson's disease: 'Communication and eating problems can be treated via speech therapy'

Aga Khan University Hospital aims to promote awareness about Parkinson's disease. STOCK IMAGE

KARACHI: The Pakistan Parkinson's Society arranged an awareness session on Thursday about the problems faced by Parkinson's patients while eating and speaking at which Dr Marium Hadi Sayeda, a consultant at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), was the speaker.

The session, held at the AKUH, was part of a series of support group meetings of the Parkinson's Rehabilitation Programme, which has conducted more than 40 such sessions on a variety of conditions faced by Parkinson's patients.

"Patients experience a communication breakdown and feel depressed when they cannot speak properly or cannot express their emotions," said Dr Sayeda, while speaking to the attendees.

She said the reasons for these problems may differ from patient to patient as some may be unable to speak because they cannot use their lips while others may not be able to use their tongue.

Dr Sayeda said that in some special cases, patients may feel that their voice has changed. "The disease can be diagnosed earlier by measuring changes in the sound of a person's voice," she said, adding that a change in the sound of the voice is one of the major diagnostic factors.

Read: Living with Parkinson's: Replace canned fruits with fresh ones, advises Sidra Raza

Speaking about the problems a Parkinson's-affected patient can face while swallowing, Dr Sayeda said the process of food ingestion is badly affected by the disease. "When the patient swallows food, it can go to the respiratory wall and can lead to the development of many other respiratory related diseases," she explained.

At the end of the session, Dr Sayeda suggested the patients see a speech pathologist, explaining that patients facing problems with communication and swallowing can be treated via speech therapy.

Read: Modern medicine: Deep Brain Stimulation offers Parkinson's patients new hope

The programme was arranged by the Advanced Rehabilitation Services, which introduced the Parkinson's Rehabilitation Programme on September 8, 2011 in collaboration with AKUH's department of neurology and the Pakistan Parkinson's Society.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2015.