General Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease
The most commonly occurring symptoms of Parkinson's disease are the ones that occur in the beginning. It is important to know the initial signs of the disease as catching it at a primary stage can make controlling the disease a lot easier with the help of medications, therapies and some natural means. The scope of Parkinson's disease is a widespread possibility and is not restricted to any group or gender. The disease is believed to possibly strike anyone, although the majority of the cases come in the form of genetic inheritance of a certain mutation. The earliest symptoms and the later ones can vary in a big way if we were to talk about all of them. Depending on the patient, some of the symptoms that may occur are discussed below.
An overview of Parkinson's symptoms -
The symptoms of Parkinson's disease are categorized into different types, each one belonging to particular types of difficulty and abnormality that has to be faced by the patient. Some of the most commonly occurring symptoms are the motor symptoms that mainly entail shaking, rigidity, postural instability and in some cases, a complete loss of physical abilities. Another major type of symptoms shown by Parkinson's disease patients are neuropsychiatric, and they include slow brain speed and promptness. This can be seen as a developing symptom in the early days. Both these categories are discussed in detail in the following pages.
Other symptoms of Parkinson's disease -
Sleeping problems - Fragmented sleeping is one of the most commonly occurring disorders amongst patients with Parkinson's disease. The symptom may also show tendencies of insomnia, and rapid uncontrolled eye movements. Parkinson's patients can be expected to show abnormal behavior owing to vivid dreams and nightmares. Although not occurring in all patients, this symptom is quite frequent and has been found in as many as 30 percent of them. Patients are also known to tend to sleep more in the mornings and day hours.
Problems related to the eye - A number of optical problems have been seen to affect some Parkinson's patients and they primarily cause difficulties like irritations, hallucinations, slower blinking and mobility discomfort. These are directly caused due to the neurological changes that cause most of the problems in the case of Parkinson's disease.
Sensory and perception oriented problems - The very basic level of perception that the patient's body exists in a three-dimensional space gets distorted in Parkinson's disease. The patient is often unable to figure out his position relative to the surroundings, and may often face the risk of an accidental injury, especially in cluttered indoors and streets. The loss of the sense of smell and a heightened sense of pain is also observed amongst patients. The patient's sense of comfort is also lost, driving him into a continuous tendency of adjustment.
Gastrointestinal problems - Constipation and gastrointestinal problems are also seen in Parkinson's patients. This is believed to be caused by malfunctions in enteric nervous system which is responsible for regulating gut functions.