Veteran actor Kader Khan leaves a void as he passes away at 81. He needs no introduction. His brilliant performances in over 300 films have been appreciated with multiple awards and recognition.
In a sad turn of events, it has been reported that the actor died after his medical condition deteriorated. Increasing trouble in his breathing had made doctors shift him to a BiPAP ventilator because the normal ventilator might cause more harm.
According to a report in SpotboyE, his prolonged illness might have been caused by Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).
What is PSP?
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, US, defines it as an “uncommon brain disorder that affects movement, control of walking (gait) and balance, speech, swallowing, vision, mood and behavior, and thinking. The disease results from damage to nerve cells in the brain.” It can often be confused with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
If you break down the terms, ‘progressive’ indicates that the disease worsens with time and causes weakness, particularly damaging some parts of the brain above nerve cell clusters, explaining ‘supranuclear’.
The disorder is fairly rare, with only about three to six in every 100,000 people affected worldwide.
Symptoms
While the exact signs might differ from person to person, the initial symptom is commonly a loss of walking balance and falls. With progression in disease, patients start suffering with blurred vision and loss of control over eye movement.
On an average, symptoms of PSP begin on after age 60, but there are also middle-age cases.
Treatment
Although the protein tau has been linked to PSP and other related disorders, scientists do not yet understand the mechanisms that lead to disease and symptoms.
Currently there is no effective treatment for PSP, but some symptoms can be managed with medication or other treatments.
Mayo Clinic lays down a few suggestive treatment options for people suffering with the disease.
- The patient can be prescribed medication used for Parkinson’s disease to increase dopamine levels and help smooth muscle movement. However, this is only temporary and lasts no longer than two or three years.
- A kind of botox can be injected to the muscles surrounding one’s eyes in order to block chemicals that cause muscles to contract and improve eyelid spasms.
- Special eye-wear with bifocal or prism lenses to aid looking downward.
- Physical therapy, of course, to help with bodily balance.
Earlier in 2017, Sarfaraz Khan confirmed with SpotboyE that his father was having difficulty walking. Even a successful knee operation did not give him the confidence of standing up and walking.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)