Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease that affects a patient's brain. Although Parkinson's disease is most common in people over the age of 60, it is possible for symptoms to manifest in patients in their early 30's. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Parkinson's disease is categorized as a chronic progressive disease, which means it will continue and worsen. The nerve cells of the brain are affected, which causes the patient to exhibit symptoms of shaking and trembling. To determine the severity of the disease, doctors use the Hoehn and Yahr scale.
Muscular Tremors
The University of Maryland Medical Center says one of the first symptoms of Parkinson's disease is muscle tremors. These symptoms can be extremely mild, such as a twitching muscle in the face. The tremor can last a few seconds at a time to weeks at a time without stopping. Because these symptoms can be so mild, they are often ignored. These tremors will become less prevalent or go away completely when the patient moves or exercises.
Rigidity of the Muscles
Rigidity is the medical term for stiffness. The most common place for rigidity to strike as an early symptom of Parkinson's disease is the face and hands. A patient who is in the early stages of Parkinson's disease will begin to notice more instances of rigid muscles. This can affect movement, because the simplest motions can become painful to achieve. Eventually, this symptom will spread to more parts of the body and can be debilitating to the patient.
Slowed Movement
According to The American Family Physician, bradykinesia is a common first symptom of Parkinson's disease. Bradykinesia is the medical term for slowed overall movement. When the brain isn't affected by Parkinson's disease, signals are sent from the brain to the body quickly. In the early signs of Parkinson's disease, patients will find it difficult to move quickly or perform simple motor skills as easily as they once were able to. It can become hard to eat using a utensil because of the delay in motion. It can also become hard to walk quickly. The American Family Physician states this symptom could possibly be the result of a lack of dopamine in the brain due to Parkinson's disease.
Dementia and Confusion
The Mayo Clinic states that Parkinson's disease can affect the brain to such a severe degree that patients can develop dementia and general confusion. While the most severe case of dementia will not develop until the disease progresses significantly, memory loss and confusion will begin early on in the first stages.
