We’ve all heard of Parkinson’s disease, but can you recognize the symptoms? Let’s take a deep dive into the symptoms you should know.
Approximately 500,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but many more may have the condition. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, some experts estimate 1 million Americans may have Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease is a “neurodegenerative disorder,” where nerve cells in the brain or nervous system become damaged and die off. It’s the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the US behind Alzheimer’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease affects the brain and body in a different way than Alzheimer’s. While we primarily think of Alzheimer’s disease as affecting the mind, Parkinson’s disease impacts the entire body.
How Parkinson’s Disease Affects the Body
Parkinson’s disease causes nerve cells in part of the brain to become impaired or die off. This part of the brain, the basal ganglia, is responsible for controlling movement.
This significantly impacts the body because those nerve cells produce dopamine, a chemical messenger helping nerve cells communicate with each other. When the brain isn’t producing enough dopamine, it can’t communicate effectively to control body functions like movement.
Parkinson’s impacts body functions in other ways by killing off nerve endings that produce norepinephrine, a chemical messenger of the sympathetic nervous system. Because the sympathetic nervous system controls heart rate and blood pressure, Parkinson’s impairs both body movements and non movement-related functions.
Recognizing the Signs of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive condition, meaning it usually worsens gradually over a period of years. Many symptoms do not develop until a person has had the disease for a while.
While there’s presently no cure for Parkinson’s disease, medications and therapies can help treat symptoms and slow disease progression. The earlier a person is diagnosed, the better.
Knowing the early symptoms of the disease can help you seek care if you spot them in yourself or a loved one.
Symptoms may include:
- A tremor. Some shaking is normal, especially when your body is under stress, like when you’re exercising. Certain medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used to treat depression and anxiety, can also cause tremors. A tremor in your hand, finger, thumb, or even chin that persists even when you’re resting, however, may be a sign of Parkinson’s disease.
- Changes in handwriting. This may sound like a weird sign, but handwriting that’s gotten smaller or causes words to crowd together can be an indicator of Parkinson’s. Such handwriting changes, along with writing that slopes or changes direction, are called “micrographia.” Someone with this symptom may also take longer to write even small amounts of text due to a need to pause and rest.
- Difficulty moving. This sign is directly related to loss of dopamine impairing messages from your brain signaling your body parts to move. It may be experienced as stiffness, making it hard to start walking or stiffness and pain in the shoulders or hips. Some people with Parkinson’s disease describe feeling like their feet are stuck to the floor.
- Facial masking. Have you ever been asked why you look so mad or sad, even though you weren’t feeling those emotions at the time? A symptom of Parkinson’s disease called “masked face” can cause the face to register certain emotions contrary to a person’s actual emotions. Facial masking has the same cause as difficulty moving limbs. Stiffness and slowness can slow your expressions, too.
- Restless sleep. Being a previously sound sleeper but begining to thrash when sleeping, can be a sign of Parkinson’s disease. Unlike restless legs syndrome, which causes sudden movements of legs only, someone with Parkinson’s can have sudden movements throughout the body.
- Voice changes. Having a cold or overusing your voice at a concert or event can cause a softer or breathy voice. Your regular voice should return as your throat heals. If your voice changes without a noticeable cause, though, or these changes linger, talk with your provider about it.
Conclusion
These are some early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease as it first begins damaging nerve cells. As it progresses, additional symptoms include difficulty swallowing and chewing, constipation, impaired balance and coordination, and an unusual walking gait.
The latter—called Parkinsonian Gait—causes a person to lean forward while walking and take tiny, quick steps. A loss of arm movement while walking, rather than the normal swinging motion, is also a characteristic.
If you or someone you love are experiencing any of these symptoms, check with a medical provider. These symptoms can be signs of less serious conditions, but it’s always better to receive a diagnosis and treatment.
Our team of providers at West Tennessee Healthcare Neuroscience & Spine diagnose and treat many conditions, including Parkinson’s Disease. Find a provider here, or call (731) 541-9490 to learn more.
