There is no single
specific treatment for PSP and, because it is a complex illness, a combination
of approaches will probably be suggested:
Supportive therapies - early
referral is generally recommended to the various members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) who
can help with specific difficulties. It
is important to communicate with your doctor so that he or she can put you in
touch with the right, experienced professionals. Depending on the country in which you live,
an occupational therapist or physiotherapist will be able to provide
gait assessment and suggest equipment and strategies to help. A speech
and language therapist will be able to advise on overcoming difficulties in
with speech, swallowing and eating and should be a core member of the MDT care
for a person with PSP. See also Who can help?
Feeding - over
time there is an increased risk of complications such as pneumonia, including
aspiration pneumonia due to an inability to swallow. Where swallow becomes too difficult, it may
be necessary to introduce a feeding or PEG
tube – for more information see Speech and language therapy treatments.
Medication –
few medications are currently available to effectively treat PSP. Anti-Parkinson’s medications are generally
not as effective, although a small percentage of people respond moderately well
to treatments with Levodopa. An
experienced doctor or neurologist should always be involved in managing any
medication regime.
However, palliative
medication can help greatly, for example muscle relaxants to help with cramps
or gentle massaging of oils into limbs; the bathing of eyes with cotton wool dipped in cooled boiled
water to ease the extreme dryness of the eyes due to eyelid rigidity. In Germany trials with CQ10 have also shown
an efficacious benefit1.
