What are the precursors of Parkinson’s disease?

  Some people, especially middle-aged and elderly people over 50-60 years old, often complain that they were healthy when they were at work, but after they retired, they walked differently than before, and walked more and more slowly. Sometimes when walking, one leg seems stiff and dragging, or sometimes the elbow is bent and the side of the body cannot sway freely, or there is hand tremor and other symptoms, we should be highly alert to the possibility of Parkinson’s disease.  Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative brain disease of unknown cause, caused by brain dysfunction due to nigrostriatal lesions in the brain. The main symptoms include limb tremors, limb stiffness, slow movements, and abnormal postural reflexes. There are as many as 2 million patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease in China, accounting for about 1% of the total population over 55 years old.  The onset of Parkinson’s disease is insidious and the course of the disease is slow, and the initial manifestations are usually not first noticed by the patient, but observed by the patient’s relatives, friends or colleagues. At the beginning of the disease, unilateral limb tremors, small and irregular fonts when writing; fine movements such as buttoning or stirring coffee or milk become difficult; turning over in bed or standing up from a chair appears to be a struggle. Sometimes the patient’s standing posture may be bent forward. The patient has difficulty starting to walk, and the pace becomes small, as if he or she is dragging his or her feet, and then he or she walks faster and faster, straight ahead. The patient’s voice is monotonous, lacking intonation, with a dull expression and a tendency to drool.  If Parkinson’s disease is not treated, in severe cases the limbs become stiff, the body balance reflexes become poor, and eventually the person becomes immobile and bedridden for a long time. Parkinson’s disease itself is not a fatal disease, and with the continuous innovation and improvement of treatment methods and levels, more and more patients are able to maintain a high standard and quality of life for life. Of course, if they do not receive timely and reasonable treatment, it can easily lead to a decline in physical functions and even inability to take care of themselves and various complications, such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections.  In most cases, doctors are able to detect some meaningful symptomatic manifestations, and it is not difficult to diagnose a patient with typical Parkinson’s disease symptoms. However, if there are atypical early symptoms such as slow movements, it is difficult to make a diagnosis of the disease. Experienced doctors will ask the patient to come back for a review within a month or two to observe whether the disease has progressed. It is recommended that middle-aged and elderly people with the above-mentioned manifestations should go to hospitals with neurology or Parkinson’s disease specialized clinics for systematic diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner.