Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that results in loss of movement control in sufferers. Therefore, the symptoms and signs of Parkinson’s disease are generally related to changes in body movement. However, Parkinson’s disease is often difficult to detect, because the initial symptoms are generally mild and are often ignored.
Therefore, recognizing the symptoms, signs, and signs of Parkinson’s disease can help you identify this disorder. You can reduce your chances of developing a disease that gets progressively worse by getting the Parkinson’s diagnosis and treatment as needed.
The main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are common
The main characteristics of people with Parkinson’s disease are generally related to motor, namely changes or decreased function of movement in the body. In the early stages, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be vague and not very obvious. These symptoms can start on one side of the body and then affect both sides.
Symptoms, signs, and characteristics that occur can vary. You may experience all of these symptoms, but you may also experience only one or two of them. However, the American Parkinson Disease Association says, a person who develops Parkinson’s disease at a young age, generally only feels one or two motor symptoms, especially in the early stages of the disease.
There are four main motor symptoms that are common in people with this disease. The four motor symptoms of Parkinson’s are:
1. Tremor
Tremors are involuntary body movements or vibrations. This is a feature that most often occurs and is quite typical in people with Parkinson’s disease. This symptom affects about 80 percent of people with Parkinson’s and is often an early sign of the disease.
Tremors can happen to anyone due to various factors, such as stress, brain injury, or taking certain medications. However, the tremor characteristic of people with Parkinson’s disease usually occurs when at rest or relaxed, and usually begins in one hand, finger, arm, leg, or leg, eventually affecting both sides of the body. This condition can also occur in the jaw, chin, mouth or tongue.
2. Slowed movement or bradykinesia
Over time, Parkinson’s disease can slow your movements, making simple tasks difficult and time-consuming. This condition is also known as bradykinesia. Your steps may become shorter when you walk, or even drag your feet when you try to walk.
In addition to slow movement, bradykinesia is also usually indicated by reduced facial expressions, decreased blinking speed, and problems with fine motor coordination, such as difficulty buttoning clothes. Another sign could be difficulty turning over in bed.
3. Muscle stiffness
Muscle stiffness is also a common feature of Parkinson’s disease. Stiff muscles can occur in any part of the body and often cause pain to limit your range of motion. In the early stages, these symptoms are often mistaken for arthritis (arthritis) or other muscle problems.
4. Posture and balance problems
Disorders of posture and balance are also common in people with Parkinson’s disease, especially in the later stages. Posture problems mean the body’s inability to maintain a straight and upright posture. As a result, the posture becomes more stooped than usual, making it easier to fall even with a light push (balance problems).
In addition to the four symptoms above, people with Parkinson’s disease often experience various other motor signs. Here are other motor signs that can also occur in people with Parkinson’s:
1. Loss of automatic movement. For example, the ability to make involuntary movements, such as blinking, smiling, or swinging your arms while walking.
2. Speech changes. You may speak in a soft, fast, slurred, monotonous tone, or hesitate (stutter) before speaking. It commonly occurs in later stages of Parkinson’s and is believed to be the result of bradykinesia.
3. Changes in writing. You may find it harder to write and your writing will appear smaller.
Other symptoms that often occur in people with Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease is a disorder associated with motor or body movement. However, symptoms that are not related to motor are common and are often ignored. In fact, these non-motor symptoms can be more disturbing and disabling your activities than the motor signs. To find out more, here are some other symptoms that often occur in people with Parkinson’s disease:
Sense of smell problems
Decreased sensitivity to smells (hyposmia) or loss of the sense of smell (anosmia) are often early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. In fact, this condition can be experienced months or even years before motor symptoms appear.
Sleep disturbance
Sleep disorders, such as insomnia, are also common in people with Parkinson’s. This condition causes a person to wake up frequently at night, causing excessive sleepiness during the day.
Depression and anxiety disorders
Depression and anxiety disorders are fairly common nonmotor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease. This condition often occurs in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease and varies in severity. However, depression and anxiety due to Parkinson’s can be treated with medication, speech therapy, or psychotherapy.
Dementia or cognitive changes
Some people with Parkinson’s also often experience problems with thinking, memory, personality changes, seeing things that don’t exist (hallucinations), and believing things that are not true (delusions). The condition is associated with cognitive problems, such as dementia. This generally occurs in the later stages of Parkinson’s disease.
Constipation
Constipation or constipation is generally often an early symptom of Parkinson’s disease. This condition occurs because Parkinson’s can slow down the sufferer’s digestive system. However, side effects of the drug can also cause constipation.
Problems urinating
Parkinson’s disease often causes bladder problems, which are marked by changes in urination. These symptoms include frequent urination (especially at night), an urgency to urinate (a feeling of urgency to urinate even though the bladder is not full), slowed urination, difficulty urinating, or not urinating. intentional (urinary incontinence).
Skin problem
Skin problems also often occur in people with Parkinson’s, such as seborrheic dermatitis, a condition that causes the scalp to dry out, peel, and lead to stubborn dandruff. In addition, Parkinson’s also increases the risk of melanoma, which is a serious type of skin cancer.
Therefore, make sure you tell your doctor if you notice any skin conditions, such as lesions, that are bothersome. This could be a sign that your Parkinson’s disease is progressing.
In addition, several other characteristics and signs can also occur in people with Parkinson’s disease. Make sure you always tell your doctor if this happens to you. The doctor will help to overcome these problems. Here are other Parkinson’s symptoms:
1. Pain in several parts of the body or throughout the body, including nerve pain that causes certain sensations, such as a burning or numb feeling.
2. Dizziness, blurred vision, or fainting when moving from a sitting or lying position to standing, caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure (orthostatic hypotension).
3. Fatigue.
4. Excessive sweating.
5. Malnutrition, dehydration, to excessive saliva production due to difficulty swallowing.