Parkinson’s disease impacts around 1 in 500 people and sometimes it can be easy to miss when symptoms develop. Although most cases develop for people over 50, around 1 in 20 people can experience symptoms when they’re under 40.
The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease gets worse as the condition progresses. There is no cure for Parkinson’s but many people respond well to treatment and only experience mild to moderate disability.
Parkinson’s doesn’t cause death but it can place great strain on the body. It can also make some individuals more vulnerable to life-threatening infections.
Read more: Amy Huberman opens up on father's heartbreaking illness as he battles Parkinson's disease
Most people today can expect a near-normal life expectancy due to advances in treatment. But what exactly is Parkinson’s disease and what is the little known symptom. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a condition that occurs in older people where the brain becomes progressively damaged over many years. It is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain called the substantia nigra, which leads to a reduction in dopamine in the brain.
Dopamine plays an important role in bodily functions from movement, memory to pleasurable reward and motivation. We need dopamine to complete everyday tasks. A reduction in this neurotransmitter is responsible for many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Some of the complications patients with Parkinson’s have to deal with are depression and anxiety, urinary problems, dementia, constipation, issues with speaking, sleep and chewing and swallowing.
How early can Parkinson’s be diagnosed?
There is no specific test for Parkinson's. If your GP picks up on Parkinson’s disease, you’ll be referred to either a neurologist, a specialist in conditions affecting the brain and nervous system or a geriatrician, a specialist in problems affecting elderly people.
You normally need two out of three of the common symptoms to be diagnosed which are, shaking or a tremor in a part of your body that usually happens when resting, muscle stiffness, or slowness of movement.
If you suspect you or someone you know has Parkinson’s it is best to see a GP. There is another little known symptom that happens before tremors begin.
What is the little known Parkinson’s disease symptom?
Parkinson’s physical symptoms such as tremors and stiffness are perhaps the most obvious signs, one little known symptom is a soft monotonous voice. Research conducted by neuroscientists in the lab of Julie E Miller the assistant professor at the University of Arizona shows vocal changes appear before movement-related issues.
The researchers looked at a songbird native to Australia called zebra finch to see any linkage between the Parkinson’s gene called alpha-synuclein and vocal changes. Birds have been investigated in this case as the part of their brain that deals with speech and language is organised very closely with a human brain.
In order to understand how alpha-synuclein impacts vocal production in the birds the researchers took baseline recordings of their songs. In order to compare results, a copy of the gene was introduced into some birds.
The songs were recorded again and initial findings showed that the gene did impact song production, the birds with the Parkinson’s gene sang less after two months and they also started to sing less at the start of a song three months later. The findings also showed their vocalisations were not only short but softer, which is a common symptom in Parkinson’s disease.
