Self-management of Parkinson's disease patients during the epidemic

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common degenerative neurological disease in the elderly. PD patients have poorer resistance than other elderly patients and suffer from malnutrition combined with anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. Their risk of contracting COVID-19 is significantly increased.

As epidemic prevention and control becomes normalized, we should encourage PD patients to correctly understand the disease and improve self-protection. This issue of popular science will bring you popular science knowledge on self-management of PD patients during the epidemic.

Self-management of PD patients

1. Daily personal protection

PD patients often have unstable gait and slow movements. During the epidemic, it is recommended to reduce activities in crowded places. You may come into contact with different groups of people for your own reasons. When going out for short-distance activities in the community, wear a disposable medical surgical mask, avoid touching the eye, nose, and oral mucosa, wash your hands frequently, maintain good respiratory hygiene habits before meals, after defecation, and after going out. Open windows for ventilation at least 3 times a day, each time for 20-30 minutes. If you have symptoms of respiratory infection such as coughing and fever, you should rest at home and seek medical attention as soon as possible if necessary.

2. Nutritional dietary guidance

The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016) is the basic principle of home diet. Following this principle, the nutritional needs and health of the general healthy population can be guaranteed to the greatest extent. However, PD patients belong to the malnourished population, and malnutrition seriously affects the control of disease symptoms and quality of life, greatly reducing the survival rate of patients.

During the epidemic prevention and control period, in addition to maintaining a home diet, PD patients also need to ensure adequate nutritional support to improve resistance. PD patients are advised to eat evenly, eat small meals frequently, and diversify their food. Eating small meals frequently can effectively reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. Daily food should include vegetables, fruits, cereals, meat, beans or milk, etc. Meat, beans or milk should be eaten at different times. PD patients are often accompanied by constipation. Eating about 400g of fruits and vegetables every day can effectively enhance intestinal peristalsis and maintain good bowel habits. Try to avoid drinking water before going to bed to prevent frequent urination at night. Because a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet may affect the efficacy of dopa receptor agonists, it is recommended to limit intake. For PD patients with concomitant diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease, the intake of salt, sugar, and fat should be strictly limited as required.

3. Emotional sleep regulation

PD patients often suffer from emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression. Music therapy can be used to reduce patients' physical and mental stress and enhance their confidence in facing the disease. They can also use a variety of relaxation therapies to alleviate negative mood states, such as: Morita therapy, breathing relaxation training, progressive muscle relaxation training, etc.

In terms of home care, patients are encouraged to communicate and more attention is paid to their needs and the causes of their negative emotions. The use of anti-anxiety drugs does not necessarily have to be avoided deliberately. If the above adjustment methods are ineffective, sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs and other drugs can be used appropriately. At the same time, psychological counseling and adjustment of treatment by a psychiatrist are recommended.

4. Functional exercise at home

While at home, PD patients still need to maintain a certain amount of rehabilitation treatment to maintain a high quality of life, including: stretching and tension relief therapy, active and passive joint movement training, and fine finger function training.

On the basis of rehabilitation training, PD patients can also be encouraged to actively participate in traditional rehabilitation exercise therapies, such as Ba Duan Jin, Tai Chi, Wu Qin Xi, etc., and pay attention to preventing falls during exercise. It is strongly recommended that late-stage PD patients avoid long-term bed rest. With the assistance of family members, they can perform body position change training beside the bed, and perform active and passive limb activity training with the help of assistive devices.

PD is an incurable chronic disease, but medication can be used to control symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. The earlier the treatment, the better the effect. Early and correct treatment can maintain the patient's motor function and quality of life for a long time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we should pay more attention to PD patients, publicize scientific prevention and control measures for them, face the epidemic rationally, and ensure the treatment and recovery of the disease.

Parkinson's self-management starts with caring for yourself!