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NEW YORK— Retired NBA power forward Brian Grant; best-selling musician Neil Diamond; star of television and film Michael J. Fox; and the forty-first president of the United States, George H.W. Bush, have had wildly different careers, but all shared one thing in common: Parkinson’s disease.
This is proof positive that PD touches people from all walks of life.
The National Institutes of Health say Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects people of all ages, races and genders. Certain factors can increase the risk of developing PD, including being over the age of 60, being male, having a family history of the disease, and exposure to certain toxins like pesticides and herbicides.
Symptoms of PD start slowly and can worsen over time. The Mayo Clinic says the first symptom of the disease may be a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand or sometimes the jaw or foot. While there is no cure for PD, early intervention therapies may slow its progression, making diagnosis at the earliest of symptoms advantageous. The following are some of the common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, courtesy of the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Mayo Clinic.
• A slight shaking (tremor) in a finger, thumb, hand, or chin while at rest.
• Small handwriting, also known as micrographia, may be a sign of PD. This is when letter sizes are smaller and the words are crowded together.
• Slowed movement, also called bradykinesia, can be a symptom. People with bradykinesia may find it hard to get out of a chair, shower or get dressed. Bradykinesia also may make it more difficult to blink and a person may have less expression in his or her face.
• Although a loss of sense of smell can be linked to a respiratory condition like the common cold or even COVID-19, no longer smelling certain foods also might be a symptom of PD.
• Loss of automatic movements, such as smiling or swinging arms while walking, can occur.
• Those with PD often have diminished posture that becomes stooped, causing balance problems and falls.
• Voice changes, such as a breathy, soft or hoarse voice, could be an indicator of PD, as can slurring of words.
• Facial masking, which involves a serious or angry looking face, is present in some people with PD.
Additional potential symptoms of PD can include vivid dreams that cause acting out, frequent need to urinate, constipation, feeling very tired, and problems with thinking and memory. A person should see a health care professional if any of these symptoms seem familiar. A doctor can help diagnose the condition and rule out other potential causes.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative illness affecting movement and cognition. John’s Hopkins Medicine says the average age of onset of PD is 60.
Folk and Latin music singer Linda Ronstadt, for example, was diagnosed with PD at age 67.Rock star Ozzy Osbourne was 71 when diagnosed. A small percentage of people who develop the disease do so before reaching age 50. Actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with PD in 1991 at the age of 29, which is proof that PD can strike early and reason to note no symptoms should go ignored, regardless of age.
