Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease
The early signs of Parkinson’s disease, unfortunately, can often be overlooked. This is due to the fact that early stages of the condition can be mistaken for the normal signs of aging. That said, recognizing the early signs of Parkinson’s disease can be instrumental in successful treatment and delaying the progress of the disorder. To make matter even more difficult, the early signs of Parkinson’s disease quite closely resemble the symptoms of several different diseases.
Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease
The early signs of Parkinson’s disease are subtle and occur gradually. Patients may notice increased fatigue, or generally feeling unwell. In some instances, individuals may feel a little shaky or have difficulty getting up. Typical early signs of Parkinson’s disease also include soft speech, or cramped, “spidery” handwriting. Patients may also feel depressed or irritable for no reason. Due to the very slow progression of the disease, these early feelings may last a long time before more obvious symptoms appear.
Sometimes, it can be close friends or family that first notice the early signs of Parkinson’s disease. Some of the earliest noticeably indicators include a lack of expression or animation in the face (called “masked face”). They may also notice the person seems stiff, unsteady or unusually slow.
Slowly, the early signs of Parkinson’s disease progress into the common, typical symptoms that affect the patient’s daily life, i.e. shaking and tremors. Unfortunately, for most patients, only then is when medical help sought.
So talk to your friend’s or family if you notice any of these early signs of Parkinson’s disease – you could be doing them a favour and helping them avoid an unnecessarily uncomfortable life.
