Parkinson’s Disease Emerges as a Major Neurodegenerative Condition in Elderly Population
In the realm of degenerative brain diseases, Parkinson’s Disease stands as the second most prevalent condition affecting the elderly, just trailing behind dementia. Often characterized by jerky movements, tremors, muscle rigidity, and postural instability, the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease can sometimes be misconstrued as natural signs of aging. In fact, the manifestation of symptoms limited to one limb can even be mistaken for a stroke.
However, if left untreated, Parkinson’s Disease can gradually progress, leading to worsened symptoms of ataxia and tremors, which can significantly impede everyday life. Therefore, obtaining an early diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease is of utmost importance when movement disorders arise in elderly individuals.
Typically affecting older individuals, the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease increases with age. This disorder occurs when nerve cells in the midbrain’s ‘substantia nigra’ gradually perish, resulting in the depletion of dopamine secretion, crucial for smooth movement. Although the exact cause remains unknown, Parkinson’s Disease is predominantly idiopathic, with genetic factors rarely accounting for its occurrence.
According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a staggering 131,000 individuals have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2021 alone. Notably, the prevalence of Parkinson’s Disease considerably rises among those aged 60 to 69 years. While the disease can occasionally have a genetic component, it mostly remains idiopathic, without any identifiable cause.
Parkinson’s Disease generally manifests slowly and advances gradually, making it challenging to pinpoint its exact onset. Tremors, trembling, and muscle stiffness serve as the primary symptoms. Typically, the disease first manifests on either the left or right side of the body, resulting in reduced swinging of one arm while walking.
Initially, tremors in the limbs appear when the body is at rest, gradually leading to diminished and unnatural behavioral responses. The person’s facial expressions may appear expressionless, and hand tremors can go unnoticed initially. Furthermore, changes in gait and posture play a significant role in identifying Parkinson’s Disease symptoms. Patients often exhibit stooped postures and experience walking difficulties, frequently falling. Joint pain, such as neck or backache, may surface in the early stages. Individuals may also notice diminishing handwriting size or a decrease in voice volume, prompting them to seek medical attention.
While Parkinson’s Disease largely affects motor function, non-motor symptoms can also arise, including autonomic nervous system dysfunctions like orthostatic hypotension and urinary disorders, gastrointestinal issues like excessive salivation and swallowing difficulties, mild cognitive impairment, as well as depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
Effective drug treatment serves as a vital aspect of managing Parkinson’s Disease. Medications that address dopamine deficiency or stimulate dopamine receptors are commonly prescribed. Additionally, drugs that dampen the cholinergic system’s overactivity are also utilized. It is crucial to initiate treatment with smaller doses and gradually increase them to minimize potential medication side effects that may arise when striving to fully alleviate the symptoms.
In its early stages, Parkinson’s Disease may sometimes be confused with dementia. However, cognitive decline or personality changes akin to dementia typically occur infrequently at this phase. Moreover, since symptoms predominantly manifest in one arm or leg, it is easy to mistake Parkinson’s Disease for a stroke. However, it is important to note that slow movement becomes more noticeable than loss of strength in Parkinson’s Disease.
Dr. Yoon Seung-jae, Director of Neurology at Seran Hospital, emphasizes the progressive degeneration of dopamine nerve cells in Parkinson’s Disease, underlining the need for ongoing treatment. Although managing the disease may prove challenging, early intervention and proper medication allow individuals with Parkinson’s Disease to maintain a fulfilling daily life throughout their later years.
The Prodromal Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease: Early Warning Signs
– Decreased sense of smell, resulting in difficulty detecting odors.
– Chronic constipation.
– REM sleep behavior disorder, characterized by mimicking dream actions during sleep.
‘Parkinson’s disease’ is the second most common degenerative brain disease after dementia in the elderly population. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by jerky movements, tremors, muscle rigidity, and postural instability, which are sometimes mistaken for natural aging caused by aging. In addition, symptoms only occur in one limb, which can be confused with a stroke.
However, if Parkinson’s disease is left untreated, the symptoms of ataxia and tremor will gradually worsen, and the performance of everyday life can be significantly reduced. That is why it is important to get a diagnosis for Parkinson’s disease quickly if movement disorders appear in the elderly.
Parkinson’s disease occurs mainly in older people. As age increases, the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease increases. Parkinson’s disease is a disease in which nerve cells that secrete dopamine, which is essential for movement, are gradually lost due to unknown causes in an area called the ‘substantia nigra’ located in the midbrain.
According to statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, from 2021, there are 131,000 patients with Parkinson’s disease. By age group, Parkinson’s disease patients increase rapidly from 60 to 69 years of age. Parkinson’s disease is rarely caused by a genetic component. In most cases, it is ‘idiopathic’ with no known cause.
Parkinson’s disease starts slowly and progresses gradually. It is difficult to know exactly when Parkinson’s disease started. The main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are tremors, tremors, and muscle stiffness. It often starts first on either the left or the right side. It is also common to notice that patients swing one arm less when walking.
At rest, tremors in the limbs appear early, and behavior gradually becomes slower and unnatural. As the body becomes stiff with stiffness, it may appear as an expressionless face. Tremors appear regularly in the relaxed arm, and at first the person may not notice the hand tremor.
A change in gait or posture is also an important symptom of Parkinson’s disease. The patient stands stooped and walks often, and as the symptoms progress further, he shows gait disorders such as falling easily when walking. Joint pain, such as back neck or back pain, may appear in the early stages. When writing, the size of the letters gradually gets smaller or the voice gets smaller, so they go to the hospital.
Many symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are related to motor function. On the other hand, non-motor symptoms also come on. Non-motor symptoms include autonomic nervous system symptoms such as orthostatic hypotension and urinary disorders, gastrointestinal disorders such as salivation and swallowing disorders, mild cognitive impairment, and depression, anxiety and sleep disorders.
Drug treatment is an effective and important treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Taking drugs that increase the lack of dopamine or stimulate the receptors on which dopamine acts. Drugs that suppress the relatively overactive cholinergic system are also used. If you take many medicines from the beginning to get rid of the symptoms completely, the side effects of the medicines can appear quickly. You should start with a small amount and increase slowly.
Parkinson’s disease is sometimes suspected as dementia. However, in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, there are few cases of cognitive decline or personality change such as dementia. In addition, symptoms only occur in one arm or leg, so it is easy to mistake it for a stroke, but in Parkinson’s disease, symptoms of slow movement are more prominent than symptoms of loss of strength.
Director of Neurology at Seran Hospital, Yoon Seung-jae, said, “As the degeneration of dopamine nerve cells progresses slowly, the treatment of Parkinson’s disease does not end with a single prescription. Even if it is difficult, it is a disease and can maintain daily life into old age with a treatment drug.”
# Prodromal symptoms suggestive of Parkinson’s disease
• Poor sense of smell, which makes it difficult to smell
• I have chronic constipation.
• Shows REM sleep behavior disorder, where you copy the actions you did in your dreams during sleep.
#ageing.. #movement #disorder #tremors #elderly #Parkinsons #disease #suspected
