Care for Parkinson's disease

The most common symptoms of Parkinson’s are:

• Rigid muscles: Stiffness when the arm, leg or neck is moved back and forth.
• Resting tremors: Tremors (involuntary movement from contracting muscles) that are most obvious at rest.
• Bradykinesia: Slowness in starting movements.
• Postural instability: Poor posture and balance that may cause falls or gait problems.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s vary from person to person. The symptoms may appear slowly and in no certain order. Early symptoms may be subtle. They may slowly get worse over many years before reaching a point where they disrupt normal daily activities.

Diagnosing Parkinson’s in the early stages can be hard. At first, signs and symptoms may look like other health problems or the effects of normal aging. For this reason, a health care provider may want to observe symptoms for a period of time until they are consistently apparent.

Right now, blood or lab tests are not used to diagnose Parkinson’s. Diagnosis is based mainly on a person’s health history and nervous system exam. This may include:

• Neurological exam: This includes examining symptoms and their seriousness.
• Trial test of medicines: When symptoms are severe, a trial test of medicines (mainly levodopa or L-dopa) may be used. If symptoms ease from the use of levodopa, this suggests a Parkinson’s diagnosis.
• CT scan: This imaging uses X-rays and a computer to make images of the body, including the bones, muscles, fat and organs. CT scans are more detailed than general X-rays.
• MRI: This test uses large magnets, radio waves and a computer to make detailed images of organs and structures within the body.

Since Parkinson’s disease results in less dopamine, diet and physical activities, such as physical therapy and exercise, can increase dopamine levels. A patient may also be given medications as the disease progresses. A patient’s care team will develop a treatment plan unique to each individual.