A HEADINGTON man who suffers from Parkinson’s is one of just 198 people selected to take part in a national trial to halt the disease in its tracks.
David Salisbury, aged 62, was diagnosed with the condition in 2010.
Over the next two years the retired IT engineer will take part in the PD STAT study to test if the drug simvastatin can slow down or even stop the disease.
He said this week he was “honoured” to be taking part in a trial that could change the lives of thousands of people across the country.
He said: “I was very pleased to be selected for the trials, and not just for myself.
“It is good for medicine to try and test this drug. Hopefully this will help others.
“I am honoured in myself to do something for somebody.”
As part of the Plymouth University-led trial Mr Salisbury was selected out of thousands of sufferers from 21 different hospitals.
Each participant will take one of two pills each day – either simvastatin, which it is hoped can halt the disease, or a “dummy pill”, but Mr Salisbury won’t know which until the trial is over.
He said: “I have no idea if it will work or it won’t work, or if it’s a placebo.
“Most days I cough a lot and whether that’s a side effect or Parkinson’s or not I am not quite sure.
“It is a degenerative disease. I am quite early I think. I feel most of the symptoms some of the time but it is very rarely that they manifest themselves.
“You have to be quite upbeat. You have got two options – you can let it grind you down into the dust or do something about it.”
The married father of three children said his family had been very supportive since he was diagnosed six years ago.
He said: “They cope pretty well most of the time.
“My wife and children have been very supportive.”
Since being diagnosed Mr Salisbury has also led schemes to help raise awareness of the disease locally, including creating a “cheats quiz” in Headington, asking pub quiz questions centred on the disease and encouraging people to Google the answers or ask fellow quiz goers.
People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine and symptoms include tremors, rigidity and slowness of movement.
Experts have yet to find a cure and it is not known why people get the condition.
The latest study is being led by the Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit at Plymouth University and sponsored by Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. It is funded by The Cure Parkinson’s Trust and the JP Moulton Charitable Foundation.
http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/14752884.Headington_man_to_trial_life_changing_Parkinson__39_s_drug_says_he_is___39_honoured__39__to_be_selected/?ref=rss
No comments:
Post a Comment