Early signs of Parkinson’s can appear over a decade before diagnosis.
Knowing what to look for when you suspect you have Parkinson’s can lead to early diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is confirmed by a treating health professional, you can be empowered to adjust your lifestyle and access supports to help manage your symptoms.
Arming yourself with information on the diverse, 50+ symptoms associated with Parkinson’s can then help you to take proactive steps towards diagnosis, support, and lifestyle adjustments.
Young Onset Parkinson’s (YOPD) can present with symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s that typically appear in older adults, but they occur in individuals in their 20s to 50s. Here are 10 early symptoms that may occur years or decades prior to motor symptom:
- Micrographia: Reduced handwriting size over time, which can become progressively smaller and more difficult to read. Often noticed when changes occur in your signature.
- Speech changes: Softening of the voice, slurring of words, or hesitations in speech due to difficulty with muscle control. People may ask you to repeat yourself as you won’t notice the change but they will.
- Facial masking: Reduced facial expressions or a fixed, mask-like expression and slower blink rate due to muscle stiffness. May be misconstrued as disinterest or lack of understanding during communication.
- Sleep disturbances: Problems with sleep patterns, such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome (RLS), or vivid dreams (RBD).
- Loss of or reduced sense of smell: Decreased ability to detect or recognise smells, known as hyposmia, which can occur a decade or more before other symptoms appear. Often an ability to smell dill pickles, bananas, and liquorice.
- Unexplained changes to thinking, mood & motivation: These may include anxiety, depression, apathy, and cognitive changes such as difficulty with memory and concentration.
- Constipation: Often a result of the underlying neurological changes (slowed GI tract) and medication side effects; can be chronic and persistent. Individuals may experience infrequent bowel movements (typically less than three times per week), difficulty passing stools, or a feeling of incomplete evacuation.
- Unexplained pain: Often a pain in the hip, back or shoulder that is not resolved with treatment. Also could experience exercise-induced dystonia (e.g. foot cramps).
- Tremors: Often the first noticeable movement symptom, usually starting in one hand or finger and appearing as a slight shaking or trembling.
- Bradykinesia & Muscle rigidity: Other movement symptoms of slowed movements or difficulty initiating a movement, a general slowness in doing everyday tasks. Also stiffness in the muscles, which can occur in any part of the body and may lead to pain or discomfort.