One out of 100 people are affected by Parkinson’s disease. Most of the people affected are people who are 60 years and above. However, young people may also be affected by this disease. The main cause of this disease is the degeneration of cells in the human brain. When the dopamine in the brain reduces, the Parkinson’s disease occurs. The reduction of dopamine in the brain disrupts the communication of the brain and the body, making the patient lose control of his or her body movements. There are certain symptoms that are very evident on a patient. You can easily determine whether a certain person has this disease because of the symptoms.
one of the earliest symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremors. These usually happen in the foot or in the hands of the patient, especially when he or she is relaxed. These tremors usually mimic a certain motion of the hands. Sometimes, these tremors may appear in the jaw or in the face. These tremors are usually present in one side of the body only. However, it may progress later on and expand.
Another symptom of the Parkinson’s disease is the slowing of the patient’s movement. This slowing of the movement is known as the bradykinesia. This means, the patient can only make very small steps or his or her facial expressions will be greatly reduced. The patient will notice that he or she will be very limited and can’t perform the movements he or she intends to do.
The stiffness and the limited movements that a patient has often leads to difficulty in maintaining balance. Adding up to this are the tremors that he or she may experience in certain parts of his or her body. Difficulty in maintaining balance is one of the obvious symptoms of the Parkinson’s disease.
Rigid muscles are another Parkinson’s disease symptom. This can be experienced in any part of your body. It does not only limit the movement of the patient, but it may also cause pain on him or her. The early signs of these symptoms are if when one finds it hard to swing his or her arms.
In the later parts of having the disease, the patient will easily experience fatigue, difficulty in moving and speech impairment. The patient will be losing a lot of movement abilities until he or she will have one posture left. Eating may also be very difficult for Parkinson’s patients because of their swallowing problems. Sexual dysfunction is also another problem that will occur because of the loss of motor skills.
In the later parts of this disease, the patient may also experience dementia. This means. He or she will have difficulty in having a clear memory or mental function. Fortunately, there are certain drugs or treatments that may suppress this symptom. Anxiety, depression, and fear may also be developed by a person suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The patient may also develop a compulsive behavior as the disease worsens.