Understanding Parkinson’s: Beyond Trembling, Identifying the First Symptoms

2023-06-28 14:03:25
Forget trembling: these are often the first symptoms of Parkinson’s

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What is Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s causes certain cells in your brain to slowly break down: the cells that make the important substance dopamine. This can cause all kinds of complaints, such as difficulty moving and problems with thinking. Parkinson’s is named after the physician James Parkinson who first described the disease in 1817.

Increasingly in younger people

The neurologist of Medisch Spectrum Twente explains to the AD that the first misunderstanding already starts with who the disease can affect. “Parkinson’s is often thought to affect older men in particular, but that is not true. Both men and women can get this disease. And: more and more young people are getting the disease. Ten percent of patients are under fifty. We see more and more people in their forties who have the disease and sometimes even people in their thirties.

First symptoms

Where many people with Parkinson’s think of trembling, according to Lucille there are other first symptoms that you should pay attention to. According to her, the disease usually starts with complaints such as slowness of thinking, stiffness, problems with smell and mood disorders such as depression. “Disturbed dreams in which you talk and move a lot in your sleep or smaller movements – such as a handwriting that becomes increasingly finicky – can also indicate Parkinson’s disease.” Finally, constipation can also be a sign, this often starts years in advance. “That is because the intestines also work more slowly.”

Can something be done against Parkinson’s disease?

Unfortunately, the disease cannot yet be cured. However, the necessary can be done against symptoms such as mood complaints and intestinal problems. “That is why early detection is very important. You can also do a lot about movement complaints: with medication that returns the substance dopamine to the body, motor skills can often be improved”, says Lucille.

Someone who also has Parkinson’s is Ernst Daniel Smid:

Source: AD/Hersenstichting

June 28, 2023

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