Include physical activity in the Swedish national guidelines for Parkinson

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(Google translated) Parkinson's is an incurable, degenerative, neurological disorder that usually debuts after 55-60 years of age, however, 10-15% get the disease before the age of 50. It is estimated that there are about 22,000 Parkinson's sufferers in Sweden and about 1,500 are diagnosed each year. The disease is characterized by rigidity (stiffness), bradykinesia (slowness of movement) and tremor (shaking).

In February 2016, The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare published a consultation version of the first national guidelines for Parkinson's disease, see the link here. This is of course a positive development with great opportunity for clearer priorities for Parkinson's care in Sweden.

But,
despite that research has demonstrated the benefits of physical activity in Parkinson's for several years now, there is not a word about this in the Guidelines.

YFA (Professional Associations for Physical Activity) produces FYSS (Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of disease), a support tool for healthcare professionals when recommending physical activity. There are recommendations for a wide variety of diseases based on solid research. The recommendations for Parkinson states, for example:

Parkinson's disease is generally characterized by poverty of movement. Physical activity is vital and should be started early in the disease. Patients are recommended general physical activity such as walking and similar, combined with specific physical therapy and home training program. Scientific studies has shown fitness training and specific endurance training to be effective and can be recommended in some cases. Strength training has also been shown to have an effect, but the scientific evidence is insufficient to recommend such training. The physical activity can be expected to prevent inactivity and fear of movement and reduce the risk of injuries.

Prescription

  1. Daily physical activity such as walking and similar.
  2. Specific physical therapy under the guidance of a physiotherapist to improve, for example, walking ability 1 time per week. Programs for self-training / Home program should be designed and performed 2-3 times per week.
  3. Fitness training and specific endurance training in some cases. 

The Netherlands has developed guidelines for Parkinson where physical exercise is an essential part of the treatment, together with drug treatment, in full compliance with current research. Several scientific studies show that the way to treat Parkinson lead to both healthier patients and lower health care costs! (Ref)

We think it is completely unreasonable that Sweden now publishes guidelines where the latest research are not followed.

We who have signed this petition requires that physical training is included in the Board's guidelines for Parkinson's!