October 23, 2024, 12:57 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Around 400,000 people in Germany currently have Parkinson’s disease. Older people, in particular, are affected by the disease, which usually only causes movement disorders at an advanced stage. But there are also early signs.
Many people associate Parkinson’s with slow movements and trembling hands. However, these are by no means the first symptoms of the disease. In its early form, the neurological disease can also manifest itself in other ways. FITBOOK explains possible early symptoms of Parkinson’s.
Overview
Conspicuous sleep disturbances
He suddenly lashes out in the middle of the night. She wakes up, but her husband is asleep. It is as if he is dreaming and trying to defend himself against something. It can start like this or something similar. Anyone over the age of 50 who exhibits a so-called REM sleep behavior disorder should consult a neurologist. It can be one of the early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, explained Prof. Daniela Berg, Director of the Department of Neurology at Kiel University Hospital, to dpa.
Possible early Parkinson’s symptoms
According to observational studies, 70 to 80 percent of older patients with such a sleep disorder develop Parkinson’s disease over the following ten to 15 years, explained the expert. Other early symptoms can include constipation, an uncontrollable urge to urinate, or a reduced sense of smell. The first motor abnormalities are a shuffling gait or the observation that one arm swings less than the other when walking. Some people also notice changes in their handwriting: the letters become smaller and smaller.
Diagnosis often only after ten to 15 years
“Of course, each symptom on its own does not mean that someone will develop Parkinson’s later on,” says the expert. But if several symptoms come together, you should be vigilant.
Patients usually only go to the doctor when they are visibly trembling or moving much more slowly. The disease is already well advanced at this point. “By the time we diagnose Parkinson’s, patients have usually been living with the disease for ten to 15 years.” Around half of the nerve cells in the substantia nigra in the brain, which is important for movement, have already died.
The substantia nigra (Latin for black substance) in the brain plays an important role in Parkinson’s disease
If someone presents to a neurologist with the first signs but no motor abnormalities, the neurologist can examine the patient clinically and arrange for appropriate special examinations or refer them to a specialized center. There, it can be determined whether a misfolded protein typical of Parkinson’s has already impaired the transmission of the neurotransmitter dopamine. If this is the case, it can be assumed that the affected person will sooner or later develop Parkinson’s disease.
The cause of Parkinson’s
Parkinson’s is a nerve-related movement disorder that mainly affects older people. Formerly known as shaking palsy, the disease is caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain. These no longer produce dopamine, which the body normally uses to control movement. Numerous disorders are the result: trembling, tense, stiff muscles, as well as gait and balance disorders. In addition, speech becomes quiet and monotonous, and facial expressions become rigid. Additional symptoms can also include sleep disorders, depression, and mental impairment, including dementia.
When people usually fall ill
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. According to health insurance data, around 400,000 people in Germany currently suffer from this incurable disease, writes the German Society for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders.1 Patients are, on average, 60 years old when they are diagnosed. Men are affected more often than women.
According to the study What your sleeping position reveals about your risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Cause and course of the disease Signs that already indicate Prader-Willi syndrome in babies
Brain inflammation Possible symptoms of encephalitis
Exercise as a preventative measure
However, if you know that you are particularly at risk, the expert emphasizes that there are things you can do to prevent the disease from progressing quite so quickly. “Sport, for example, is a very good preventative measure – not just against Parkinson’s, but against all diseases in which nerve cells in the brain die.” If the patient already has limitations – for example, problems with speaking – special training can help. “This is a good way of correcting speech that is becoming increasingly quiet and slurred, for example.”
Doctors are not yet able to treat the cause of Parkinson’s, but they can support the disturbed dopamine metabolism with medication. The regulatory disorder in the brain can also be improved using electrodes (deep brain stimulation, “brain pacemakers”) or other procedures, such as targeted ultrasound. Those who already have motor impairments can also take part in studies. Prof. Berg: “For certain genetic forms of Parkinson’s disease, for example, there are promising studies that could have a positive influence on the course of the disease.”
With material from dpa