There are approximately assistinghands.com/1/parkinsons-disease/” target=”_blank”>Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and nearly 60,000 new diagnoses each year. The disease usually affects people between the ages of 50-65, but 15% of those diagnosed are under the age of 50. PD occurs when there is a decrease in the production of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical produced in the brain that controls movement. Diagnosing Parkinson’s can be difficult because there are no x-rays or blood tests that can confirm the disease. A diagnosis is made only after ruling out other conditions with similar symptoms. Being proactive in diagnosing, treating and understanding the disease as well as planning for the future can make living with Parkinson’s more manageable for the patient and their families.

Diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease can be difficult

The key signs of Parkinson’s Disease are tremor, slow limited movement, rigidity, and difficulty with balance. Tremor or shaking is usually the first symptom noticed. Tremor may affect the hands, arms, legs, or head and is the most common symptom, but not everyone with a tremor has the disease. Slowness of movement is caused by a delay in response time to a stimulus. Rigidity or stiff and aching muscles is another common early sign of PD and usually presents itself as a reduced arm swing on one side of the body when a person is walking. This symptom may also affect the muscles in the legs, face and neck. Difficulty with balance may result in shuffling of the feet, having trouble turning around and frequent falls. Just because one or more of these symptoms may present themselves, does not mean that a person has Parkinson’s Disease. It is important to seek medical advice in determining if these symptoms are related to PD or some other Illness with similar symptoms.

This is part one of a two part series