Early recognition and early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease

  Approximately 2% of China’s elderly population over the age of 65 has Parkinson’s disease. With the accelerated aging process in China, the number of Parkinson’s patients is increasing year by year. However, Parkinson’s disease is often misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed due to its diverse symptoms and varying degrees of presentation. Due to the lack of awareness of the disease among the public and primary care doctors, about 40-60% of patients are misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed, and in rural areas it is as high as 70-90%. Parkinson’s disease is sometimes misdiagnosed as cerebral infarction, cervical spondylosis, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. Some patients also undergo surgery, endure great pain and spend a lot, but do not improve their symptoms. In the end, they were only diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when they were referred to a Parkinson’s-specific clinic, missing the best time for treatment. If treated actively at an early stage, it can not only improve the symptoms, but also improve the quality of life of the patient. On the contrary, if the treatment is not timely, it will delay the disease and wait until the late stage of the disease to start treatment, which is not conducive to the overall management of the disease, the dose of medication will be large, not only the symptoms are not well controlled, but also motor complications such as end-of-dose phenomenon and isokinetic disorder, which seriously affect the quality of life of patients.  How can we detect the signs of Parkinson’s disease as early as possible? Parkinson’s disease has a variety of manifestations, and diagnosis is mainly made by experienced doctors through detailed history and physical examination, and after doing cranial MRI to rule out other diseases. Therefore, patients must go to a Parkinson’s-specific clinic for diagnosis and treatment to achieve early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment.  The early manifestations of Parkinson’s are various, some manifest as shaking of one limb, some manifest as stiffness of muscles or joints, some manifest as slow movement in daily life, walking delay, and may also manifest as constipation, depression, fatigue, loss of smell, and sleep disturbance.  Currently, the international Parkinson’s disease screening questionnaire is composed of 9 questions, and the elderly can ask themselves the following 9 questions.  1. Do you have difficulty getting up from a chair?  2. Is your writing smaller than before?  3.Does anyone say your voice has become smaller than before?  4.Do you tend to fall down when you walk?  Do your feet suddenly feel like they are stuck to the ground and you can’t lift them up?  6.Is your facial expression not as rich as before?  7.Do your arms or legs tremble?  8.Do you have trouble tying your own buttons?  9.Do you walk with your feet dragging the ground in small steps?  If you have more than 3 points, we recommend that you go to the Parkinson’s Clinic for further examination and diagnosis immediately. We hope we can help you or your family!