A local man is finding renewed quality of life thanks to a cutting-edge treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Wolfgang Ewald of Jesberg is experiencing important symptom relief-and a reduction in medication-through deep brain stimulation performed at Hardtwaldklinik I in Bad Zwesten. The procedure, detailed in a report by Christina Zapf, offers hope for those living with the progressive neurological disorder, which is expected to affect a growing number of people globally in the coming decades.
A deep brain stimulator is helping Dr. Wolfgang Ewald, a patient at Hardtwaldklinik I in Bad Zwesten, manage his Parkinson’s symptoms and reduce his medication dosage.
Dr. Wolfgang Ewald of Jesberg lives with Parkinson’s disease, but it’s not immediately apparent. Symptoms like tremors are now barely visible. This improvement is thanks to a deep brain stimulator he received several years ago.
This treatment is used for Parkinson’s when medications become less effective, explains Dr. Christoph Berwanger, Medical Director and Chief Neurologist at Hardtwaldklinik I in Bad Zwesten. The device delivers deep brain stimulation by implanting electrodes into specific areas of the brain. These electrodes send electrical impulses to help alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and slowed movement. While the procedure doesn’t cure the disease, it can significantly improve the quality of life for patients like Ewald.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s is a chronic, progressive neurological disorder caused by the gradual loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain. This loss of dopamine, a crucial neurotransmitter that controls movement, leads to the characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s, including slowness of movement, muscle stiffness, balance problems, and tremors. The disease is not curable, but symptoms can be managed with medication and therapies. Parkinson’s typically doesn’t appear before the age of 60. However, according to Dr. Christoph Berwanger, Medical Director and Chief Neurologist at Hardtwaldklinik I in Bad Zwesten, the disease is expected to become more common in the future due to demographic shifts. Professor Dr. Lars Timmermann, a neurologist at the University of Marburg, notes that more than four million people worldwide currently live with Parkinson’s disease, making it one of the most common neurological disorders. “Given the increasing average age, the number of people affected is expected to double to 8.7 million worldwide by 2030,” he writes on the University of Marburg’s website.
Treatment at Hardtwaldklinik I in Bad Zwesten
Stationsarzt Peter Drescher has been treating Parkinson’s patients for years, and Oberärztin Angelica Dirdiiac has extensive experience in the neurorehabilitation of those affected. Ewald is under their care.
Ewald, now 65, received his diagnosis in 2012 from Frank-Lothar Welter, then Chief Neurologist and Medical Director of Hardtwaldklinik I and the Neurological Center Bad Zwesten. He then sought care at the Neurology department of the University Hospital Marburg, where he received his deep brain stimulator in 2018. “It’s not a last-resort therapy, as is often misunderstood,” Drescher explained. A deep brain stimulator is a good option when medication becomes limited, for example, due to severe side effects.
“The tremors were getting worse, and no medication was helping,” Ewald recalls. From 1988, he ran his own veterinary practice in Jesberg. Due to his illness, he became unable to work around seven years ago as his suffering steadily increased. Side effects included narcolepsy, or sudden sleep attacks. Concerned about the risk to animals during surgery, he decided to retire.
Deep Brain Stimulation Allowed for Medication Reduction
Notably, Ewald received general anesthesia during the implantation of his deep brain stimulator. “Typically, the surgery is performed under awake anesthesia to immediately assess the effectiveness of the therapy,” Ewald says. However, his severe tremors made this approach impossible. Ewald is very satisfied with the results. “It’s like night and day,” he says. He has a remote control that allows him to manage tremors when they become more pronounced, such as when he is excited. He is the only member of his family to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s. “I don’t know where it came from.” Following the surgery in Marburg, he underwent a period of medication adjustment, Dirdiiac explains.
“I thought I wouldn’t need any medication after the surgery,” Ewald says. Although he soon learned otherwise, he now takes significantly less medication than before. “With a deep brain stimulator, you can minimize medication,” Drescher says. He felt there was no alternative to the device. “I couldn’t tolerate the medications anymore.” As a veterinarian, he had confidence in medicine and readily embraced the deep brain stimulator.
Thanks to the stimulator, Ewald has been able to return to a hobby he had given up: shooting at the 300-meter shooting range of the Police and Military Sports Association in Alsfeld. He used to go hunting, but that is no longer possible. Nevertheless, he is glad to have regained control over his body.
