World Parkinson’s Disease Day 2019: Spot the symptoms early on

Catching the early symptoms of any condition, including Parkinson's Disease, is the cornerstone of managing it. We help you do that as we celebrate World Parkinson's Disease Day today.

Editorial Team | Published: April 11, 2019 12:42 pm

Parkinson’s is a debilitating condition that impairs your essential functions like walking and standing. © Getty images

‘Shaking Palsy’: That’s how Parkinson’s Disease (PD) has been described by Dr. James Parkinson, the man after whom this ailment has been named. This progressive neurodegenerative disorder comes with a wide range of manifestations, tremour in hands and feet being one of the most prominent among them. The other symptoms could be a hunched back, blank gaze, changed personality, etc. However, the symptoms may seem quite innocuous initially as they are quite subtle at the inception.

Low levels of a brain chemical called dopamine, caused by the death of the cells that produce it lead to Parkinson’s Disease. It’s a debilitating condition that impairs your essential functions like walking, talking, standing, holding or arranging things, so on and so forth. So, it’s a must to look out for the early symptoms of this ailment to be able to manage it before too much damage has occurred. Watching out for the signs of PD is all the more crucial for people who fall in the high-risk group for this condition. The risk factors include age, being male (yes, they are at a 50 per cent greater risk of Parkinson’s Disease!), having a parent or sibling with PD, traumatic brain injury, exposure to toxins (herbicides and pesticides) and metals (mercury, lead, etc.), antipsychotic drugs, so on and so forth. On this World Parkinson’s Disease Day, we guide you through the early signs of this condition that you need to watch out for.

Stooping

Standing in a straight upright posture becomes a challenge when your dopamine levels dip, leading to Parkinson’s Disease. A hunched back, which is sometimes referred to as slouching could be an early warning sign of PD. This happens when you lose muscle coordination and body balance.

Injury in your back and any sort of lower back pain can also lead to slouching but they can stand straight again after their pain is healed.

Hoarse voice

Hoarseness of tone (not induced by cough and cold) or a sudden softness in your voice could well be the initial sign of problems associated with Parkinson’s Disease. Yes, patients living with this condition have been found to lose their voice with time. They may also end up speaking in a low, quiet tone and a completely different accent as the disease advances. At the initial stage, the changes in voice and speech remain subtle.

Shaking hands and feet

This is probably the most common and well-known symptom of Parkinson’s Disease. However, at the initial stage, it won’t be severe. You may experience only a slight twitch or tremour in your fingers, chin, hands, feet and lips during this time. Don’t ignore these signs and get yourself checked at the neurologist’s chamber if it persists for a few days or keeps coming back at regular intervals. A one-off case, however, may not be a cause of worry. Sometimes tremour can also be caused by low BP, weakness and stress.

Blank gaze

Besides motor skills, Parkinson’s can also affect your inherent facial expressions, leading to a blank gaze. Medically termed as masking, this is a prominent early symptom of Parkinson’s Disease that you should watch out for. However, this is an involuntary action characterised by difficulty in blinking at times. It happens because the movement of the small muscles of a PD patient’s face is restricted.

Micrographia

Have you observed a change in your handwriting recently? Does it look cramped? Have the letters that you write become smaller than usual? Medically known as microphagia, these changes in your handwriting could be the sign of PD. This is the result of changes in the brain that takes a toll on your fine motor skills, responsible for writing. Also, observe your signature carefully. Check if it has changed.

Thinning Retina

If your ophthalmologist finds out that your retina is becoming thin, then you may consider visiting a neurologist as well. This is because, research says that a thinning retina could be the early sign of Parkinson’s Disease. This study, featured in the Journal of Neurology of the American Academy of Neurology revealed that this eye condition can be identified with the depleting count of brain cells that produce dopamine. It also says that the advancement of this neurological disorder is also associated with thin retina.

For the research, study authors involved 100 participants in the age range of 69. They were not on any sort of medication. A thorough eye examination followed by a high-resolution eye scan was carried out. The thickness of their retina layers was also noted. It was observed that two inner layers of the retina, among the five, were the markers of nerve degeneration. The thinning was found in the undiagnosed patients of Parkinson’s Disease.

Troubled movements

If you are above 60 and take time to move around at the beginning of the day, it is quite normal. However, if you do not get back your pace as the day progresses and if your limbs feel stiff, then it could be a cause of concern. These are the classic early symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Jerky movements, uncoordinated muscle movement and difficulty in walking or standing are the other signs that you should watch out for. Also check if you find it tough to perform easy tasks like arranging things, turning your head, moving your hands, so on and so forth.

Reduced olfactory senses

If you are suffering from Parkinson’s disease, you will fail to perceive even the worst of smells. This condition is known to affect your capacity to smell negatively. Do not ignore this symptom.

Published: April 11, 2019 12:42 pm

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