Hello,
And welcome to episode 17 of my series of tiny talks about dementia and related issues.
Today I will talk about Parkinson's syndrome.
I'm not sure if anybody else calls it Parkinson's syndrome instead of disease,
But after making such a point that it should not be Alzheimer's disease,
But Alzheimer's syndrome,
I feel I need to be consistent and refer to Parkinson's as a syndrome as well.
Parkinson's is another neurodegenerative syndrome that mainly affects dopamine-producing neurons located in the substantia nigra.
Although those make up a small part of the brain,
The consequences of this part of the brain being affected by the build-up of Lewy bodies is substantial.
Symptoms build up slowly over the years.
As with the other brain disorders I describe,
It develops and presents differently for everyone.
As the Parkinson's Foundation states,
People with PD may experience tremors,
Bradykinesia,
Limb rigidity and gait and balance problems.
Bradykinesia signifies slowness of movement.
As you can see from these symptoms,
Parkinson's firstly and mainly affects on an individual's mobility.
However,
In later stages,
These symptoms are often accompanied by Parkinson's related dementia.
The Alzheimer's Association estimates that 50 to 80% of those with Parkinson's eventually experience dementia as their disease progressive.
Some studies have reported that then,
Average time from onset of Parkinson's to developing dementia is about 10 years.
Certain factors at the time of Parkinson's diagnosis may increase the risk of developing dementia in the future.
These include an advanced age,
A greater severity of motor symptoms and mild cognitive impairment or MCI.
Additional risk factors may include excessive daytime sleepiness,
The presence of hallucination in a person who doesn't yet have other dementia symptoms,
And a Parkinson's symptom pattern known as postural instability and gait disturbance.
