What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

The first signs are often different from one person to another and are not always specific. If some people do complain that members of fatigue, others find changes in the movements in their usual activities.

Parkinson moved gradually and slowly. And the signs appear one by one over several years.

The main signs of the disease are

- Involuntary tremors, and irregular rhythm, occurring at rest or during periods of concentration. These movements are generally recognized at hand (the thumb) and the head (lips and chin) and legs. These tremors disappear during voluntary movements during sleep. They are rarely evident in early disease.

- The stiffness of the limbs and spine due to muscle rigidity (extrapyramidal hypertension), originally an uncoordinated movements and involuntary resistance movements. This phenomenon leads to movement difficulties in daily activities. During the course of the disease, these signs may be complicated by a loss of balance and postural instability.

- A slowness and difficulty in initiating movement (akinesia). Normal movements, deliberate and automatic must be ordered. These anomalies appear gradually and are recognized for the first time when writing or other basic and routine manual activities.

At the beginning of the disease, signs affect only one side of the body and then spread to all parts of the body and become bilateral. In more severe cases, the posture can be changed and the patient may lose all autonomy movement.

Signs can also change the patient's gait. There is talk of a "parkinsonian gait." The process is typically abnormal, with small shuffle, the patient leaning forward slightly, back bent, arms still, rigid neck.

The face is expressionless and frozen (hypomimia), with a decrease in blinking and mouth slightly open at all times.

Other signs are also present:

- Various discomforts can lead to depression, irritability or anxiety. At a later stage, the patient may develop neuropsychiatric problems such as confusion, memory problems, mental problems, behavioral problems. Cognitive disorders are rare.

- Sensory disturbances such as problems of smell (anosmia)

- Trouble sleeping (insomnia), swallowing disorders, hyper salivation, slurred speech (dysarthria)

- Orthostatic hypotension may complicate dizziness or falls,

- The sweat, hot flashes, cramps and tingling

- Digestive problems: constipation are the most common

- Problems of urinary incontinence

Some patients complain of fatigue and pain.

The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is mainly clinical. The occurrence of earthquakes during a resting muscle is characteristic of Parkinson's disease, and differentiates it from other causes of tremor. However, a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging may be necessary to eliminate certain diseases with similar signs. In Parkinson's disease, these tests are normal.

In its most severe course, the disease can cause a bedridden state, with a final bedrest.