Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects control over your movements. It’s caused by ongoing changes in small area of the brain. Proper treatment can help ease symptoms and let you live a full, active life.
Get In Touch
Cleveland Clinic
Abu Dhabi - UAE
Call Us at +971 800 82223
From outside of UAE +971 2 659 0200
About Parkinson’s Disease – Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s in UAE
How common is Parkinson’s disease?
Neurological disorders are now the leading cause of disability in the world. Among these neurological conditions, the fastest growing is Parkinson’s disease. From 1990-2015, the people who have Parkinson’s disease having difficulty with neurological symptoms have doubled! As per the recent study, the pandemic of Parkinson’s will increase from 6.9 million to 14.2 million in 2040.
What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s symptoms often appear gradually. Patients can notice symptoms from few weeks to years. Sometimes patient do not notice their symptoms and attributes the symptoms to ageing. Mostly, the family and friends notice early changes such as softness of voice, not swinging one arm while walking or walking slower than usual. The most common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are:
- Slow Movement (bradykinesia) : This can affect the whole body. This is different from “I’m slowing down; I’m getting older”. Persons may walk with short, shuffling steps. Persons can also have slowness with typing or using mobile in one hand and notice clumsiness with fine motor skills. Smaller handwriting and decrease in the size of signatures is also an early sign of slow movement.
- Shaking (tremor) : Tremor is a very common movement disorder. Parkinson’s disease tremor is unique to be mostly present during rest (resting tremor) or after keeping hand in particular posture for long duration (reemergent postural tremor). Many times, persons assume common tremor such as essential tremor or enhanced physiologic tremor to be Parkinson’s disease tremor, which creates lot of anxiety for the person. Consultation with a movement disorders specialist can certainly help to diagnose the tremor correctly.
- Stiffness (rigidity) : Muscle stiffness occurs with poor relaxation of muscles. It can cause muscle aches and stooped posture.
- A slow, shuffling walk and problems with balance is also seen in Parkinson’s disease.
- Speaking softly or in a monotone
- Mood changes, anxiety and depression
- Some symptoms may be felt such as inner shaking or restlessness which seated or lying.
- Acting out during sleep where the bed partners have notices episodes of screaming or moving arms and legs during sleep
- Constipation
- Loss of facial expressions
- Urinary symptoms of increase frequency and urgency.
- Decreased or complete loss of sense of smell (also called Anosmia)
How Do I know If I have Parkinson’s disease?
These are some common 10 symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. No single one of these signs means that you should worry, but if you have more than one sign you should consider meeting a neurologist.
Trouble Sleeping
Do you thrash around in bed or act out dreams when you are deeply asleep? Patients are not usually aware of this and this gets picked up by the spouse or bed-partner. Sudden movements during sleep may be a sign of Parkinson’s disease.
Masked Face
Have you been told that you have a serious, depressed or mad look on your face, even when you are not in a bad mood? This is often called facial masking. If so, you should ask your doctor about Parkinson’s disease.
Dizziness or Fainting
Do you notice that you often feel dizzy when you stand up out of a chair? Feeling dizzy or fainting can be a sign of low blood pressure. If it happens on a regular basis then this could be linked to Parkinson’s disease.
Trouble Moving or Walking
Do you feel stiff in your body, arms or legs? Have others noticed that your arms don’t swing like they used to when you walk? Sometimes stiffness goes away as you move. If it does not, it can be a sign of Parkinson’s disease. An early sign might be stiffness or pain in your shoulder or hips. People sometimes say their feet seem “stuck to the floor.”
Small Handwriting
Is it hard for your bank person to understand your signature? Has the handwriting become smaller? You may notice the way you write words on a page has changed, such as letter sizes are smaller and the words are crowded together. A change in handwriting may be a sign of Parkinson’s disease called “micrographia”.
Loss of Smell
Have you noticed you no longer smell certain foods very well? If you seem to have more trouble smelling foods like bananas, dill pickles, you should ask your doctor about Parkinson’s. Of course, there are several other causes of loss of smell such as cold, flue or stuffy nose, but this is temporary and smell sensation improves.
Stooping or Hunching Over
Are you not standing up as straight as you used to? If you or your family or friends notice that you seem to be stooping or leaning forward on standing, it could be a sign of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
A Soft or Low Voice
Have other people told you that your voice is very soft or that you sound hoarse? If there has been a change in your voice you should see your doctor about whether it could be Parkinson’s disease. Sometimes you might think other people are losing their hearing, when really you are speaking more softly.
Tremor
Have you noticed a slight shaking or tremor in your finger, thumb, hand or chin? A tremor while at rest is a common early sign of Parkinson’s disease.
Constipation
Do you have trouble with hard stools and straining with bowels everyday? Straining to move your bowels can be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease. Do you have trouble with hard stools and straining with bowels everyday? Straining to move your bowels can be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease. Constipation is very common problem, and there are several reasons such as low fiber diet, poor water intake and medications. Please see the section on managing constipation in Parkinson’s disease.
The diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease?
The diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is not always simple. Even a seasoned neurologist may be troubled by certain cases and it is thus important to see a Movement disorder specialist or Parkinson’s disease specialist. There is no single blood test for Parkinson’s disease. The diagnosis is based on your symptoms, medical history, and a physical exam. Persons will have some blood tests and/or MRI if there is any concern for other neurological or medical issue. Overall it is a clinical diagnosis by a thorough and comprehensive evaluation by a Neurologist, subspecialized in Movement disorders.
How should I Manage Constipation in Parkinson’s disease?
Constipation is a very common problem in Parkinson’s disease patients. With the slowness of overall movements, there is slowness in gut motility which causes hardening of the stools, leading to constipation. Unfortunately, the typical Parkinson’s disease medications are not helpful in constipation.
Ways to improve this are:
- Physical activity: lack of exercise worsens the symptoms of constipation
- Drink plenty of water to help keep stools soft. Drinking hot water in the morning is beneficial. Drink at least 2 litres of water per day.
- Increasing daily intake of dietary fiber: atleast have 25-35 gms of fiber per day. Atta bread/roti/cereals, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and beans (matar. falli). Taking husk (isapgulla) everyday is a good supplementation to add fiber in your diet.
- If all the above measure are not helpful and you are still have constipation, there are few good medications which will be prescribed.
