Research is underway to test the viability of natural plant-Mucuna pruriens (velvet beans) as a cost-effective alternative to Parkinson disease treatment in Ghana.
Mucuna Pruriens (MP) a tropical legume native to Africa and tropical Asia, widely reputed for its medicinal prowess, has 7% levodopa in its seed, which is an important medication for Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. Momodou Cham, Medical Director of St. Anne’s Polyclinic at Tagadzi in the Volta Region and lead researcher undertaking the studies in Ghana, expressed his readiness to share the findings with Ghanaians after the end of the study.
He observed that the antiparkinson medication levodopa, which is given to patients to manage the disease, in Ghana cost between $21 and $62, which was beyond the means of most patients.
He shared news about the ongoing study with a team at the Richard Norvati Memorial Hospital, Sogakope in the Volta Region, during a recent presentation to Parkison’s Disease Support Group in Ghana at the Baptist House at Abelenkpe in Accra.
Members of the Support Group who welcomed the news were optimistic that the outcome of the research could contribute to saving patients some monies in managing the disease.
At the moment, the cost of treating Parkinson’s disease in Ghana, which is not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme is expensive and a drain on patients’ resources.
Mr. Jervis Djokoto, founder of the Support Group in Ghana, was hopeful that the finding of the studies could greatly help patients who spend a monthly average of GH ¢3,000 on treatment.
Having been diagnosed with the disease in 2003, Mr. Djokoto said he was spurred to start the Support Group in Ghana, after experiencing what the support group in the US was doing.
The group, he explains was basically a gathering of patients, care providers and resources persons who meet regularly to share their experiences and knowledge of the disease.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease is a long-term neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. Though its cause is generally unknown, experts link it to both genetic and environmental factors.
According to reports, of the 6.2 million people with the disease in 2015, about 117,400 died globally. It is a fact that, Males are more often affected than females.
Symptoms include slowness of movement, rigidity or stiffness of muscles, freezing, constipation depression, and swallowing disorder among others, but Dr. Cham, noted that tremor was not a cardinal sign of the disease.
Dr. Charm who bemoaned the fact that there was low awareness of the disease in the country, said those above 60 years were more at risk of getting the disease.
Studies in other parts of the world including Bolivia show that the Mucuna pruriens variant utilis is safe for use and an alternative to over the counter levodopa.
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