Symptoms & Stages Of Parkinson's Disease

Early symptoms of Parkinson's disease are generally mild and occur progressively. At first you may just feel fatigue or a general sense of uneasiness. You may also feel a lack energy, depression or have trouble sleeping.

Then you may feel a slight tremor or have difficulty standing. Some people’s speech becomes slurred or their handwriting changes. You also notice a stiffening or lack of movement or the absence of facial expressions as well.

And as this disease progresses, it slowly begins to interrupt a person’s daily activities. Most people with Parkinson's have mild symptoms, but in some cases people can have extremely severe symptoms as well.

Some Common Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease Include

• Tremors

  In the early stages of this disease, about 70% of people experience a slight tremor in their hand or foot on one side of the body. As Parkinson's progresses, the tremors may affect other parts of the body as well. Not every person with Parkinson's disease has tremors.

  Generally, a tremor begins in the hands and arms, and often involves the rubbing of the thumb against the forefinger. This becomes more obvious when the hand is at rest, or you are under stress. Although tremors can be very distressing, they are usually not disabling and often disappear when you sleep.

• Muscle Rigidity

  With this disease, the muscles of the limbs and neck often become stiff and are unable to relax normally. Sometimes the stiffness can be so severe that it limits movement altogether. Most people with Parkinson’s develop some degree of rigidity. You may also experience aches, cramps or pains from these affected muscles.

• Bradykinesia

  Bradykinesia is the slowing down of voluntary movement. This happens because of the brain's slowness in transmitting the necessary instructions to the muscles. Over time, Parkinson's disease can cause a shuffling walk and poor posture.

  And certain muscles can also freeze up, making it hard to move normally. This can be very distressing as performing even the simplest task becomes difficult. The functioning of the digestive tract may slow down, causing problems with swallowing, digestion and elimination.

  Constipation is often a major problem for people with Parkinson's disease. Bradykinesia can also occur in the facial muscles, causing little or no movement of the face. It can also affect speaking as well.

• Changes In Walking

  This is a common symptom of Parkinson’s and includes the inability of a person to swing their arms while walking. People usually take small shuffling steps, have freezing spells, with difficulty starting to walk and difficulty stopping, and trouble in maneuvering turns and corners.

• Impaired Speech

  Many people with Parkinson's disease have some trouble speaking. Their voices become monotonous and very soft. This can be especially problematic for older adults because the soft voice of a person with Parkinson's disease may not be audible to most.

• Dementia
  

  In Parkinson's, the onset of dementia is often marked by slowed thought process and problems concentrating. Only a small percentage of people with Parkinson's develop dementia.

Other Less Common Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease Include

• Loss of balance
• Stooped posture
• Head shaking
• Loss of motor skills
• Memory problems
• Changes in handwriting (smaller writing)
• Constipation
• Depression
• Feelings of fear and anxiety
• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Drooling
• Skin problems, such as dandruff
• Difficulty swallowing and chewing
• Sleep disturbances
• Urinary problems
• Sexual dysfunction
• difficulty beginning to walk
• difficulty getting up from a chair
• reduced rate of blinking
• frequent falls
• decline in intellectual function (may occur, can be severe)
• muscle function/feeling loss
• muscular atrophy

It is important to note that these symptoms of Parkinson’s vary from person to person, no one person experiences all these symptoms.

Stages Of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease appears in different stages. The time of each stage varies, while some people can even skip certain stages. Symptoms at the various stages also differ as well.

Stage 1

During this first stage people usually experience only mild symptoms of this disease. Poor posture, loss of balance, and abnormal facial expressions, all cause inconveniences in day-to-day tasks, which can be otherwise completed with ease. Other symptoms may include the presence of tremors.

Stage 2

In the second stage of Parkinson's disease, symptoms of tremors affect both sides of the body. Problems walking or maintaining balance occur and people slowly become more incapable of completing normal simple tasks.

Stage 3

The symptoms in stage 3 symptoms of Parkinson's disease can become rather severe and some people can become severely incapacitated, and not able to walk.

Stage 4

In stage four, symptoms are very severe, with extreme rigidity in bodily movements. Bradykinesia is also visible during this stage. During this period most people cannot live on their own. Tremors however, may lessen or become non-existent for unknown reasons during this stage.

Stage 5

In this fifth and final stage of Parkinson’s disease, the disease usually takes over the all physical movements and people are totally unable to look after themselves. Stage 5 usually requires constant one-on-one nursing care.