Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects the brain and leads to symptoms like tremors – but there is also a less well-known sign that can emerge years earlier
Parkinson’s disease – a neurological disorder without a cure – plagues around 153,000 British people, displaying many symptoms including tremors in arms and hands.
It’s a unique experience for each person living with Parkinson’s, as both the progression and the kind of symptoms they face can vary greatly. Most of those wrestling with this condition are over 50, but there’s one per cent who defy this statistic.
The top three symptoms most known impact physical movement, yet there’s an often-overlooked symptom that can manifest long before these more apparent issues – a decreased sense of smell, medically known as anosmia.
Kicking in often many years prior to other symptoms, Dr Beckie Port, research communications lead at Parkinson’s UK, said: “Parkinson’s is complex. There are over 40 symptoms which vary from freezing and rigidity to anxiety and sleeping problems.
“It affects everyone differently and no two people present with the same symptoms. Many people tell us, they experience symptoms related to their Parkinson’s for a number of years before a formal diagnosis, but the dots were never connected.”
According to the NHS, the primary signs of Parkinson’s are:
- tremor – usually begins in the hand or arm and is more likely to occur when the limb is relaxed and resting
- slowness of movement (bradykinesia) – physical movements are much slower than normal, which can result in a distinctive slow, shuffling walk with small steps, and can make everyday tasks difficult
- muscle stiffness or tension (rigidity) – this can make it difficult to move around and make facial expressions, and can result in painful muscle cramps (dystonia)
The condition also comes with various mental symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and memory problems. And for some, one of the earliest sign of Parkinson’s is a less of smell, or anosmia, reports Surrey Live.
The NHS has suggested that this symptom “sometimes occurs several years before other symptoms develop”, including those related to movement. Parkinson’s UK reveals that up to 95% of those with the condition experience a loss or reduction in their sense of smell “to some degree”.
While it may be seen as a “hidden” symptom, its impact is significant for those who can no longer smell their food, potentially leading to further consequences. The charity said: “Loss of smell can affect people in different ways.
“We rely on our sense of smell to taste food, so reduced smell can lead to weight loss or weight gain. It can also affect your mood, relationships and overall quality of life. In addition, loss of smell can affect your safety – for example, being unable to smell food burning.
“It does not respond to Parkinson’s medication, so is unlikely to get better even with this treatment.”
Other signs of Parkinson’s as listed by the NHS include:
- balance problems – making you more likely to fall and sustain injuries
- nerve pain – can cause unpleasant sensations like burning, coldness or numbness
- problems peeing – such as having to get up frequently during the night to pee or unintentionally peeing (urinary incontinence)
- constipation
- swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) – this can lead to malnutrition and dehydration
- excessive production of saliva (drooling)
- sleep problems (insomnia) – this can result in excessive sleepiness during the day
- sex problems – an inability to obtain or sustain an erection (erectile dysfunction), or difficulty becoming sexually aroused and achieving an orgasm (sexual dysfunction)
- dizziness, blurred vision or fainting when moving from a sitting or lying position to a standing one – caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure
- excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
Dr Port added: “To date there is no definitive test for Parkinson’s, which is highly problematic, nor a cure or treatment to stop Parkinson’s progressing. But the earlier people are diagnosed in their Parkinson’s journey, the sooner they can receive help to manage their condition.
“Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world so we urgently need to fund more research, to better our understanding of the causes, signs and treatments of this degenerative condition affecting more than 145,000 people in the UK.”
