One of the main symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD) is diminished facial expressivity or "
When the condition affects the facial muscles, it can become difficult to form simple expressions, and a person may struggle to smile, raise the eyebrows, or move the lips. As a result, a person with Parkinson's disease may have an expressionless or “masked” face.
In Parkinson's, masking can develop as the progressive loss of motor control extends to the facial muscles as it does to other parts of the body. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) that transmits the signal from the brain to the muscles to produce movement.
In the context of facial expression production, another secondary symptom of Parkinson's is hypomimia, a muscle rigidity that results in a “masked,” expressionless face, restricting patients' ability to use non-verbal expression communication (Gibb and Lees, 1988; Hughes et al., 1992; Aarsland et al., 1999; Jankovic, ...
Similar to slowness of movement (or bradykinesia), people with Parkinson's disease often report slower thinking and information processing (termed “bradyphrenia”). Attention and working memory, executive function, and visuospatial function are the most frequently affected cognitive domains in PD.
Mild memory and thinking problems are symptoms such as forgetfulness, problems concentrating and difficulty making decisions, but you can still manage your day-to-day life. They are common in Parkinson's and can happen at any stage of the condition, but not everyone with Parkinson's has these symptoms.
The person with Parkinson's disease doesn't project an approachable persona. The loss of some of the control of the face and head muscles creates a stare-like feature that is referred to as the "Parkinson Mask." The eyes don't blink as much; the smile, if there is one, appears forced or is of a short duration.
Tremors, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement are all common early symptoms of Parkinson's – but there are also other signs to be aware of. Sleep and night-time problems are common in Parkinson's.
Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) can experience several behavioral symptoms, such as apathy, agitation, hypersexuality, stereotypic movements, pathological gambling, abuse of antiparkinsonian drugs, and REM sleep behavioral disorders.
One easily becomes less interested (bored) and hopeful about the future (pessimistic). Even among individuals with young onset PD, there can be subtle changes in personality. Thus, a person may begin to experience more negative emotions (neuroticism), becoming more anxious (fearful) or depressed (withdrawn or moody).
Parkinson's-related Vision Changes
Double vision can often occur because the eye muscles have trouble working together, especially to see up close (convergence insufficiency). Special prism glasses can often correct this. Dry eye due to decreased blinking is associated with PD and can cause blurry vision.
Speech Problems
People with Parkinson's might slur words, mumble or trail off at the end of a sentence. Most people talk slowly, but some speak rapidly, even stuttering or stammering. Parkinson's motor symptoms, such as decreased facial expression, slowness and stooped posture, may add to speech problems.
Early symptoms of this disease are subtle and occur gradually. For example, people may feel mild tremors or have difficulty getting out of a chair. They may notice that they speak too softly, or that their handwriting is slow and looks cramped or small.
Stage One. During this initial stage, the person has mild symptoms that generally do not interfere with daily activities. Tremor and other movement symptoms occur on one side of the body only. Changes in posture, walking and facial expressions occur.
It's possible for non-motor symptoms to start occurring up to a decade before any motor symptoms emerge. Years can pass before symptoms are obvious enough to make a person to go to the doctor.
Some studies have reported that the average time from onset of Parkinson's to developing dementia is about 10 years. One large study found that about three-quarters of people who live with Parkinson's for more than 10 years will develop dementia.
In most cases, symptoms change slowly, with substantive progression taking place over the space of many months or years. Many people with PD have symptoms for at least a year or two before a diagnosis is actually made. The longer symptoms are present, the easier it is to predict how a person with PD will do over time.
PD causes a loss of retinal cells in the eye that rely on dopamine to process and perceive color. Parkinson's may also impact the eyelids. People with PD blink less frequently, which can lead to dryness, irritation or burning of the eyes. Sometimes it even causes blurred vision.
The study used a simple scratch and sniff test in which participants had to identify common odors such as cinnamon, lemon, gasoline, and onion. Results from the study showed that those who had a poor sense of smell were nearly five times more likely to develop Parkinson's than those with a good sense of smell.
Parkinson's disease does not directly cause people to die, but the condition can place great strain on the body, and can make some people more vulnerable to serious and life-threatening infections. But with advances in treatment, most people with Parkinson's disease now have a normal or near-normal life expectancy.
Happiness can be an elusive thing when battling a chronic disease like Parkinson's. So many things can get in the way of experiencing happiness: pain, deep fatigue, irritability, the time consumed by the disease, and grief accompanying things stolen by the disease.
Higher intelligence was however associated with a higher risk of PD (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.35, P = 0.004) using the inverse variance weighted method.
For many people, Parkinson's affects brain chemistry—hindering the body's ability to produce dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These chemicals determine mood, energy, and motivation, leaving many in a state of depression, which can be treated, but is certainly a struggle to live with.