Are you familiar with the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s is a disorder that is mostly known for the tremors it causes. But there are more symptoms that might indicate Parkinson’s disease. And it is good to gain some familiarity with them. Find out what the symptoms are for this neurological disorder.
Symptoms
When you or someone you know has Parkinson’s disease, there might be some symptoms that you have already noticed. The four cardinal symptoms of the disease are: tremors, bradykinesia (interruption of movement), rigidity and instability. But there are other signs as well. And it might be helpful to be able to identify some of them in order to know when it is time to seek help.
Motor symptoms
The different signs can be broken into different categories:
Head or face
People with Parkinson’s disease usually have difficulty with facial expressions. That means that they might experience so-called ‘masked face’. Other symptoms are reduced blinking, hypophonia (an inability to speak louder), trouble chewing, drooling and hypokinetic dysarthria (the inability to use muscles for speaking and breathing).
Vision
Other signs that might indicate that you’re suffering from Parkinson’s disease are: blurriness in vision, impaired convergence (trouble focusing), lid-opening apraxia (not being able to open your eyes), issues with contrast sensitivity (not seeing details anymore).
Bones and muscles
These symptoms include issues with writing and talking, involuntary muscle movements or twitching, issues with posture like bending over forward while walking, or sideways.
Walking
The last symptom is related to the way people with Parkinson’s disease walk. People who suffer from this disease have a so-called ‘Parkinson’s gait’. This way of walking is characterized by shuffling and sudden stops. Another sign is festination (speeding up or shortening certain movements) that can result in speech that is hard to distinguish.
Even though these symptoms might seem obvious, there are some other, more subtle signs, too. That is why you should always talk to your doctor if you have trouble concentrating or remembering, eating, or if you experience issues while going to the bathroom.
Read more: These 6 changes in your life could reduce your risk of dementia
Source: Health | Image: Unsplash, Beth Macdonald