People with Parkinson's can experience more than 40 different symptoms, including the distinctive shaking arms.
How they progress and the order in which they appear vary for each of the roughly 145,000 people in the UK who have this degenerative, neurological condition that has no cure. Just over 1% of people with a diagnosis of Parkinson's are under 50 years of age, and while the three main symptoms visibly affect physical movement, one invisible sign sometimes starts years before the others appear.
Raising awareness of the condition on World Parkinson's Day this Monday, April 11, Dr Beckie Port, head of research communications at Parkinson's UK, said: "Parkinson's is complex. There are over 40 symptoms which vary from freezing and rigidity to anxiety and sleeping problems. It affects everyone differently and no two people present with the same symptoms. Many people tell us, they experience symptoms related to their Parkinson's for a number of years before a formal diagnosis, but the dots were never connected."
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According to the NHS, the primary signs of Parkinson's are:
- tremor – usually begins in the hand or arm and is more likely to occur when the limb is relaxed and resting
- slowness of movement (bradykinesia) – physical movements are much slower than normal, which can result in a distinctive slow, shuffling walk with small steps, and can make everyday tasks difficult
- muscle stiffness or tension (rigidity) – this can make it difficult to move around and make facial expressions, and can result in painful muscle cramps (dystonia)
The condition comes with a variety of mental symptoms as well, including depression, anxiety and memory problems. It can also include dementia, which the NHS website describes as including more severe memory problems, personality changes, delusions and visual hallucinations.
One of the earliest signs of Parkinson's in some people is a loss of sense of smell, familiar to many who've caught covid in the last two years. The NHS said this "sometimes occurs several years before other symptoms develop", including movement problems.
Up to 95% of people with the condition experience loss or reduction in smell "to some degree", according to Parkinson's UK. Despite being something of a 'hidden' symptom, it is noticeable for people no longer able to smell their food, and this can have a knock-on affect.
The charity said: "Loss of smell can affect people in different ways. We rely on our sense of smell to taste food, so reduced smell can lead to weight loss or weight gain. It can also affect your mood, relationships and overall quality of life. In addition, loss of smell can affect your safety – for example, being unable to smell food burning. It does not respond to Parkinson's medication, so is unlikely to get better even with this treatment."
Other symptoms of Parkinson's listed by the NHS are:
- balance problems - making you more likely to fall and sustain injuries
- nerve pain – can cause unpleasant sensations like burning, coldness or numbness
- problems peeing – such as having to get up frequently during the night to pee or unintentionally peeing (urinary incontinence)
- constipation
- sex problems - an inability to obtain or sustain an erection (erectile dysfunction), or difficulty becoming sexually aroused and achieving an orgasm (sexual dysfunction)
- dizziness, blurred vision or fainting when moving from a sitting or lying position to a standing one – caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure
- excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
- swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) – this can lead to malnutrition and dehydration
- excessive production of saliva (drooling)
- sleep problems (insomnia) – this can result in excessive sleepiness during the day
Dr Beckie Port of Parkinson's UK said: "To date there is no definitive test for Parkinson's, which is highly problematic, nor a cure or treatment to stop Parkinson's progressing. But the earlier people are diagnosed in their Parkinson's journey, the sooner they can receive help to manage their condition.
"Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world so we urgently need to fund more research, to better our understanding of the causes, signs and treatments of this degenerative condition affecting 145,000 people in the UK."
