How Parkinson’s syndrome affects the body

Parkinson’s syndrome is not fully understood by everyone, as long as the appearance and its manifestations may be different from one individual to another.The disease is a neurological syndrome caused by a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine, followed by degenerative changes, inflammatory vascular basal ganglia.
People with Parkinson’s syndrome rhythmic muscle tremor, rigidity in movement and progressive loss of muscle control. Surprisingly, not all patients have specific tremor disease, at least in its early stages.

Evolution of Parkinson’s syndrome
Even though its manifestations can be intimidating, life expectancy in Parkinson syndrome can be about the same as in healthy individuals. Initial symptoms are hard to spot and intensifies silent, often over a period of 20 years.
Approximately 5% -10% of cases occur before age 50 years. The average age of developing Parkinson’s syndrome is 62 years and the risk of illness increases if there is a similar case in family history. Men are 1.5 times more likely than women syndrome.
In Romania, there are over 70,000 patients with this diagnosis official, according to the Romanian Association Parkinson. Unfortunately, most patients are diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease, as they have noticed early symptoms of the syndrome or have them confused with other neurological degenerative diseases.

Initial signs of Parkinson’s syndrome
In its early stages, symptoms typical of Parkinson’s syndrome and subtle, that once recognized in time, can help early detection of the disease and treat it at an optimal level. The early symptoms are :

• Slight tremor of the fingers, hand, foot or lip;
• Rigid body and gait difficulties;
• Lift the seat difficult;
• Small calligraphy letters ” piled “
• Bending forward postures;
• Facial expression “frozen ” sober;

Body tremor is a symptom that occurs early in 70 % of cases, setting up initially in the fingers when the hand is resting (when not used). Rhythmic movements can be observed, usually 4-6 beats per second or some circular motion similar to a hand that rotates pill between thumb and forefinger. Also, shaking can be a symptom of other diseases and therefore can not alone indicate onset Parkinson.
Another initial symptom of the disease is bradykinesia or slow speed to achieve large spontaneous. These movements are a natural part of slowed physical changes caused by aging, but when the desire to materialize body moving very slowly or is followed by ” blocking ” the body can be about bradykinesia.
Inexpresivitatea slouch and face, two hallmarks of Parkinson’s patients can be caused also by bradykinesia.

Advanced signs of Parkinson’s syndrome

As the disease progresses, it becomes increasingly obvious changes in posture : shoulders are ” fallen ” head is facing forward, and the difficulty of movement degenerates into a generalized bodily imbalance.

Increases the risk of accidents by falling, and body rigidity seen in muscle contraction (muscle remain rigid and no longer relax). The hands are not naturally swinging gait and muscle pain and cramps may occur. Other advanced symptoms may occur in patients but not in all situations :

• Restless sleep and daytime tiredness;
• Voice of low intensity and unclear speech;
• Difficulty swallowing;
• Impaired memory, confusion or dementia;
• Skin with excess sebum and dandruff;
• Recurrent episodes of constipation (intestinal tract slows);

Apart from all these mental and physical symptoms may occur episodes of anxiety, depression and fear, usually after diagnosis whereabouts. Sexual dysfunction and difficulties of urine and control urination are other possible clinical manifestations of Parkinson’s syndrome.

Diagnosing Parkinson syndrome

The scans are not usually used to diagnose Parkinson’s syndrome, but can be used to rule out other diseases like symptoms. Health surveillance may involve several physical tests, such as:

• Pressing the thumb index or touching foot to observe the slow movement;
• Maintaining motionless hand to shake analysis;
• The movement of the neck, arms and legs to observe the level of rigidity;
• Bending the back, legs, body balance analysis;

Diet and lifestyle recommendations for patients with Parkinson ‘s syndrome

An important part of treatment for Parkinson ‘s syndrome balanced diet with high intake of calcium and vitamin D for bone strengthening. Proteins can interact with prescription drugs, but this can be avoided by administering pills half an hour before meals.

High-fiber foods, eaten together with a large amount of liquid, can prevent constipation specific disease. Equally important is the selection of products that have not been treated with pesticides and insecticides, substances that worsens symptoms of Parkinson’s syndrome.

Patients suffering from this disease are advised to adequately hydrate the body to turn to an occupational therapist to provide support in the normal course of daily activities and avoid sudden movements or too fast, predisposing injury.

Also, psychotherapy may be useful in preventing the onset of anxiety and depression, psychological component being neglected disease. With proper care and familial Parkinson syndrome can be controlled successfully.