Diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease

If you are over the age of 65, your odds of having Parkinson’s disease, or PD as it is widely known, is three out of 100. Approximately ten percent of PD cases are reported to be in people under the age of 40.

How do you know whether you might have PD? The symptoms of parkinsonism (as it is commonly referred to in the medical circle) is a tremor in either or both side(s) of your body, difficulty in walking (slowness, stiffness, tripping, dragging foot), bradykinesia, and rigidity. Depression is also known to be one of the first signs, oddly enough. However, depression is also a symptom of many other things, as well.

Age used to be a common factor in that patients tended to be over the age of 65. Fortunately, having a celebrity and advocate like Michael J. Fox has brought much awareness to the effects of the disease. Because of his efforts and others fighting for a cure, we are becoming more educated and finding the growing number of people under 65 who are experiencing the effects of this disease as well.

Research now shows that men may be facing the risks of PD twice as much as women. Studies are showing that estrogen may be a sort of protection for women until their menopausal years. PD is show up in a higher rate of women who have had hysterectomies. Studies are also showing that PD progression is quicker in men than in women. Other differences show that while men are at a greater risk for rigidity and tremor, women tend to be more at risk for gait disturbance. The differences are showing great interest and the need for further research.

Many factors also come into play in regards to family history. People with siblings or parents with PD are at a higher risk for developing the disease, except for those with family members who developed the disease at an older rate. Their risk factor for Parkinson’s disease is average, with Caucasians leading among varying cultures.

While no one is recommending nor promoting the following, coffee drinkers and smokers tend to have a lower risk for developing this disease. For whatever reason, researchers have yet to understand why smokers appear to have a 40% lower risk for Parkinson’s disease and coffee lovers about a 30% less risk. It’s not suggested that the reader take up smoking or increasing their intake of caffeine, noting that both habits tend to raise other medical concerns.

So, with the risk factors in mind and giving a bit of background, how is PD diagnosed? Does it mean if you’re smoking, PD is not a cause for concern? If PD doesn’t run in your family, should you not worry over the tremor that has developed the past six months in your hand? Perhaps there is cause to see your doctor for some precautionary checks and if s/he feels it necessary to refer you further, a neurologist or MDS (movement disorder specialist) will most likely be your next stop in diagnosing whether or not you have Parkinson’s disease.

When a movement disorder specialist performs a neurological exam, a medical history is recorded, followed by a physical exam. (Hopefully, the patients’ records have been forwarded by this time from the physician who referred him.) The patient is then asked a series of questions about symptoms that s/he has experienced while the doctor observes him. Following, the patient is asked to perform certain and highly relevant tasks as the physician continues to observe and note the results.

The neurological exam, while perhaps seeming what some may consider having to perform a series of silly and mundane physical feats, is actually a thorough evaluation of the nervous system. This evaluation is a very important part of the neurologist’s test in determining the patient’s diagnosis. It gives him/her the information needed to make a correct clinical diagnosis of whether Parkinson’s is indeed present.

Doctors must rely on judgment when considering a diagnosis of PD. They are familiar with the characteristics of the disease, the signs and symptoms, and therefore have a keen ability to make a proper diagnosis. They observe how similarly the symptoms and findings from the neurological exam in a patient mimics PD. Their conclusion is known as a clinical diagnosis.

It is after the diagnosis is finally made that drug therapy is discussed andusually begun, depending upon the severity and progression of the disease. Since PD affects each of its recipients differently, drug therapy will also differ, depending on age, symptoms and other various and important factors.

It can be said that Parkinson’s is a chronic disease for which there currently is no cure, but it is not a death sentence to those who find themselves sitting in a chair across from a doctor who has just uttered, “You have Parkinson’s disease.” It can be extremely frightening, but it can be controlled for most cases.

The patient has the ability to chart his/her course of action. If you are the patient, you will summon strength you did not know you had in order to fight the ‘little monster’ – if you choose to do so. Your physician/neurologist can only recommend a path of treatment. You will be the one who ultimately chooses to walk it. However, as a new member of the PD community, you must know that you will do not walk this new path of PD alone (unless of course, you choose to do so. And that would be a very sad choice).

If you have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or know someone who has, simply type in Parkinson’s disease in the search bar of your browser and begin your search. There are hundreds of resources at your fingertips. Try being more specific and add ‘support groups’ to your search and the state you reside in. The community of people living with Parkinson’s is ready to embrace you and be a valuable support… if you choose to let them.

Tagged As: disabilities, parkinson's disease, young onset parkinson's disease