Eight early symptoms of Parkinson's disease and a family's experience with diagnosis

Learn about Parkinson's disease, explore the eight early symptoms of Parkinson's disease, describe self-diagnosis methods, and share a story about a family member who received an early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

 

What is Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a central nervous system disorder characterized by a decrease in the secretion of dopamine, a neurotransmitter produced in the brain.

Dopamine plays an important role in our body's movements, and when dopamine secretion decreases, abnormalities in movement can occur, leading to problems.

 

This type of Parkinson's disease is one of the age-related illnesses, primarily occurring around the age of 60, and the incidence rate increases as age advances.

In our country, the prevalence rate among the population aged 60 and over is approximately 1%.

 

However, these days, even young people cannot feel completely at ease.

It is said that it can occur in any age group due to changes in eating habits and the effects of smoking.

 

In the case of Parkinson's disease, a complete cure is difficult, but if detected early, symptoms can be effectively managed to alleviate the progression of the disease.

 

• * Early symptoms of Parkinson's disease
• The early symptoms of Parkinson's disease appear very subtly, so people often overlook them. It is recommended to develop a habit of paying attention to your own condition regularly.
• 1) Tremor symptoms
• The characteristic symptom of Parkinson's disease is tremors, which typically start in the fingers, hands, jaw, or lips.
• It is recommended to check for symptoms when feeling tremors after moving following a rest period, such as when writing or drinking water.

 

2) Slowness of movement

Parkinson's disease may cause symptoms such as slower walking than usual or delayed responses to questions.

 

3) Muscle rigidity

Parkinson's disease causes muscles to stiffen and rigidity to appear, which can lead to falls.

 

4) Postural imbalance

Parkinson's disease can cause symptoms such as imbalance in posture and stumbling.

 

5) The text becomes smaller

Parkinson's disease causes a decline in hand motor skills, leading to the gradual shrinking of handwriting.

 

6) Expressionless

Parkinson's disease can cause facial muscles to become rigid, making it difficult to express a variety of facial expressions.

So, it is also called a "mask face."

 

7) Sleep disorder

In the case of Parkinson's disease, REM sleep behavior disorder can cause excessive movement or vocalizations during sleep.

 

8) Decreased sense of smell

Early symptoms of Parkinson's disease often include a loss of the sense of smell.

 

• *Early Symptoms Checklist for Parkinson's Disease*
• Please check your symptoms by reviewing the simple checklist items.
• If two or more symptoms appear simultaneously, please consult a specialist.
• 
• * Prevention methods for Parkinson's disease
• Although the exact cause of Parkinson's disease has not yet been identified, we have learned about preventive measures based on expert opinions.

1) Regular exercise

Exercise has a positive effect on brain health, so combining aerobic exercise and strength training can help prevent Parkinson's disease.

 

2) Maintaining a healthy diet and consuming foods rich in antioxidants is said to be helpful.

 

3) Stress management is said to be important for all brain diseases.

 

4) Activating the brain through games or new stimuli is also said to be beneficial for the prevention of Parkinson's disease.

 

My father-in-law liked playing Hwa-tu, so every morning he would draw a card to predict his day's fortune, but one day he was no longer able to do that activity.

During the process of shuffling the cards, I kept dropping them, so I initially thought it was because I lost strength in my wrist.

I recommended that you exercise.

However, during subsequent conversations or while eating, he started drooling, and he even fainted while moving, so he visited the neurosurgery department.

The neurosurgery department's diagnosis indicated that it is early-stage Parkinson's disease.

I was told that I need to take the prescribed medication three times a day and abstain from alcohol and smoking.

The fact that it is a disease that can appear in anyone as they age, but is difficult to cure, is heartbreaking.

I think I should also take good care of my brain health through regular exercise and a healthy diet.