Role of physical activity in preventing disability in Parkinson's disease Rola aktywności fizycznej w zapobieganiu niepełnosprawności w chorobie Parkinsona

Parkinsons disease, which affects about 2% of the population over 65 years and more than 4% of those over 85 years, is one of the most frequent causes of physical disability from among the diseases of the nervous system. It is well known that physical activity in patients with Parkinson's disease is less than in the general population. Only a few scientific studies have confirmed the low physical activity of people with Parkinsons disease. Despite the application of levodopa, which now seems to be the gold standard treatment, the new dopamine agonists, and even neurosurgical treatment, one is not able to control the develop' ment of physical disability within Parkinsons disease. Physical activity plays an important role in the development of the dis' ease. Improving the amount and type of physical activity delays the development of the physical disability in patients and has a positive effect on their quality of life. In the scientific literature, one can find a lot of research which shows that exercise and physical activity lead to a reduction in mortality, an improvement in strength, the sense of balance and posture, mobility and independence in performing Activities of Daily Living (ADL) amongst patients with Parkinsons disease. Exercise and physical activity play an important role in the prevention of falls, which can be dangerous for patients. In this paper an descriptive review of the literature devoted to the importance of physical activity and its impact on disability progression in Parkinson's disease has been presented. Physical activity is particularly important in relation to men and disease prevention. The different recommen' dations for physical activity and different methods of assessment have been described.