It is estimated that more than 10,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. And although 70% of them are over 65, there is a worrying 15% who are under 50.
The most common symptoms, and known to all, are:
-
resting tremor
-
Rigidity
-
loss of ability
-
Quick to perform motor functions
-
Postural disorders and/or gait disorder.
However, there are certain non-motor symptoms, and starting 5-10 years before diagnosis, which are early markers of Parkinson’s.
This is how the Dr. Maria Jose Martidirector of the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Unit, coinciding with:
. “It is important to know that there are some symptoms that occur long before the typical tremors begin.”
And those symptoms are:
-
Constipation. The Spanish Society of Neurology estimates that “it can appear throughout the course of the disease in up to 80% of patients.”
-
Depression. Symptoms such as anxiety or depression, on the other hand, are more frequent in women than in men with Parkinson’s.
-
loss of smell
-
Sleep disorder.
-
sexual dysfunction.
-
Excessive production of saliva.
And it is that, as the specialist points out to this portal:
-
“People only notice if they have tremor or difficulty walking, and don’t care about these kinds of symptoms that can predict Parkinson’s disease.”
It is also convenient to highlight that between “30-40% of cases, patients do not present tremor”, which is the most characteristic symptom of this pathology, the second most common neurodegenerative diseaseafter Alzheimer’s disease.
The importance of early detection
Early detection of Parkinson’s, as with other neurodegenerative diseases, is one of the fundamental pillars for the proper functioning of treatments.
-
“The urgency is to detect it as soon as possible and, above all, people who are at risk of suffering from any of these pathologies.”
For this reason, Dr. Martí leads an investigation that aims to identify people with a high risk of suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s.
Thus, therapy could be started as soon as possible and even anticipate the appearance of motor symptoms of this “chronic and progressive” disease.
Through this survey () it is intended to obtain information on the more initial phases of Parkinson’s disease to slow, stop, or even reverse the process. And it is highly recommended to participate, because with very little effort we can help science and potential patients.
In this research, in which they intend to get at least 10,000 volunteers, the Dr. Eduard Toulouseof the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona.
Currently, as Dr. Martí points out, there is no drug that reverses or slows down the disease.
-
“We only have treatments to improve the symptoms: tremor, how they speak, movement, walking… But they do not stop the progression of the disease. And it is what we want, because in the long run problems are added that worsen the quality of life ”.
What is the origin of Parkinson’s disease?
Everything indicates that the development of this neurodegenerative disease has to do with a combination of risk factors that cannot be modified: aging and genetic factors.
However, the Dr. Javier Pagonabarragacoordinator of the Movement Disorders Study Group of the Spanish Society of Neurology, clarifies that:
-
“Exposure to certain environmental factors may increase or decrease the risk of Parkinson’s, but knowledge of these factors is not yet broad enough and conflicting results have been found in many studies.”
A disease whose management is not easy, the doctor points out, given “the numerous motor and non-motor symptoms that it entails, along with the various complications that can arise.”