Dr. James Beck 00:00:00
Depression and anxiety affect up to 50% of people living with Parkinson's disease, while up to 30% of people with Parkinson's report changes in their memory and thinking ability.
Hi, I'm James Beck, Chief Scientific Officer of the Parkinson's Foundation. Each person's experience with Parkinson's disease is unique, as are their symptoms and management strategies. Learning how to navigate symptoms can take time, but ultimately helps empower you to live better with Parkinson's. Today, I'm going to discuss common movement and non-movement symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease impacts the brain's ability to create the chemical called dopamine. This feel-good chemical has a big job; it helps the body move and stay coordinated. When the brain cannot produce enough dopamine, the body can respond with a tremor, balance issues, or slow movements, which all could be early signs of Parkinson's disease.
There's no single test or scan for Parkinson's disease, but there are three hallmark symptoms that can help doctors make a diagnosis. Tremor is often the first movement symptom of Parkinson's. About 70 to 90% of people with Parkinson's experience a tremor at some point in their disease. Tremor tends to occur in their hands, but it can also appear in other parts of the body, including the lower lip, the jaw, or leg.
Bradykinesia, or slowness of movement, is another symptom of Parkinson's. In addition to moving slowly, one may experience smaller movements, or movements of reduced amplitude. This can mean one arm swinging less when walking or handwriting that gets smaller as you continue to write. Rigidity is another defining symptom of Parkinson's. This symptom is experienced as a stiffness of the arms or legs that can occur on one or both sides of the body and contribute to a decreased range of motion. Parkinson's disease affects everyone differently. Though Parkinson's is diagnosed based on these primary movement symptoms, many other symptoms are associated with PD and may develop over time.
Just like movement symptoms, non-movement symptoms are caused by an imbalance in the brain of not being able to produce enough dopamine. This chemical helps regulate our mood, and without enough of it and other chemicals, people with Parkinson's often develop anxiety, depression and a myriad of other symptoms. Parkinson's disease is more than a tremor or trouble walking. Most people with Parkinson's also develop non-movement symptoms. Certain non-movement symptoms such as the loss of smell, constipation and sleep disorders can occur years before a Parkinson's diagnosis. Some of the earliest signs of Parkinson's are found in the enteric nervous system, which are the nerve cells throughout the gut. As many as 80% of people with Parkinson's experience gastrointestinal issues.
Dr. James Beck 00:02:41
Parkinson's disease can also affect your mental health. Depression and anxiety affect up to 50% of people living with Parkinson's disease, while up to 30% of people with Parkinson's report changes in their memory and thinking ability. There are many other non-movement symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including dizziness and vertigo. Your doctor can help determine whether the symptoms you are experiencing are related to Parkinson's.
Since most Parkinson's symptoms are caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain, many Parkinson's drugs are aimed at either temporarily replacing dopamine or mimicking the action of dopamine. These types of drugs are called dopaminergic medications. They generally help reduce muscle rigidity, improve speed and coordination in movement, and lessen tremor. Keep in mind that medication is only part of the overall treatment plan for combating PD. Exercise and complementary therapies are evidence-based in their ability to help manage symptoms. Talk to your doctor about medications and complementary therapies.
In addition to medications, exercise should be part of every Parkinson's treatment plan. Research shows that exercise and physical activity not only help maintain and improve mobility, flexibility, and balance, but also ease non-motor symptoms such as depression or constipation. Establishing early exercise habits is essential to overall disease management. Our research has shown that people with Parkinson's who exercise for at least two and a half hours per week experience a slowed decline in quality of life.
You can also assemble a team of allied health professionals who can help manage your symptoms at every stage. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists who are skilled in Parkinson's disease can keep you moving well and communicating with the people in your life.
Research is how we'll cure Parkinson's disease. There are researchers who dedicate their careers to studying the brain and how it's related to movement disorders. One of our jobs here at the Parkinson's Foundation is to fund the cutting-edge research that keeps our scientists in our field. For instance, one of our research grantees is studying how medication can target a more specific region in the brain to make medication more effective in managing symptoms. Another researcher is developing a new test that can measure disease progression without waiting for symptoms to worsen. Research gives us hope and directly helps people live better lives with Parkinson's disease.
To learn more about Parkinson's disease symptoms and how to manage them, visit Parkinson.org/Symptoms.
