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An overview of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

An overview of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder where the reason is unknown but there is a cure for it. It is a progressing disease and as one grows with it the symptoms grow progressively worse. There is nerve cell in the brain that secrete a neurotransmitter called dopamine. As one grows old these cells start dying and the dopamine level in the brain starts to follow. There other risk factors for this. Old age is the biggest risk and people 60 and above are at high risk. Risk factors like genetics and an environmental factor of low risk. Unless there are a lot of members in the family genetics does not play any significant part.

The disease is generally slow progressing. The initial symptoms are often very mild that most members of the family miss these out. The very initial symptom is almost an imperceptible tremor in the hand and is happening when the hand is relaxed. It will take quite some time before the tremors become perceptible. Other symptoms start becoming discernible. The close associate comment about the handwriting growing small and the letters crowding together. The hand does not swing out as it used to when one walks. Initial the body stiffness does not ease out even after walking long enough. These are changes that others would notice first and you may have started to suspect.

As days go by and the disease progresses, more and more symptoms will be noticed. One would feel that he does not sense the flavor of even his favorite dish, and the fact that he is tossing around in sleep. Alternately one would start falling off from the bed in sleep pretty frequently. If you have not noticed other incipient symptoms already, then these will set off the alarm bells. Basically, Parkinson’s is slowing down of motion, hypokinesia, and this will become evident in other aspects of life. One will start to suffer constipation, difficulty in urination, either dripping or starting urination. A patient will feel some of his friends are losing their hearing while in fact, he is talking in a low voice. Other symptoms are feeling dizzy especially when getting up from sitting, the face starts to look very seriously held even when there is no reason to, and gradually beginning to stoop. One is solitary, two may be a company, three are a crowd and is serious. It is really time to take stock and see a doctor.