10 Signs of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease creeps up slowly, starting with mild symptoms that are easy to ignore at first. What follow are three cardinal features of the disorder (signs 1, 2, and 3 below) that doctors look for, along with seven related signs (signs 4 through 10) that could be additional evidence of the illness.

If you notice these kinds of changes in a loved one, consider seeking an opinion from a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders. Parkinson’s disease can be tricky to identify, and not every patient will have all the possible symptoms. So a careful clinical examination by an expert is crucial.

According to widely used guidelines from the United Kingdom Parkinson’s Disease Society Brain Bank, the first indicators of a Parkinson’s diagnosis are sign number 1 and at least one of signs number 2 through 4:

1. The person moves very slowly and seems clumsier.

2. The person’s hand or leg shakes when in a resting position.

3. The person complains about feeling stiff or sore.

4. The person has been tripping or is unsteady on her feet.

5. The problems start on one side of the body.

6. The person’s handwriting has changed.

7. The person seems sad and low on energy.

8. When the person walks, one arm doesn’t swing as much.

9. The person doesn’t notice odors.

10. The person’s speech is harder to hear and understand.

10 Signs of Parkinson’s Disease originally appeared on Caring.com.

Read more: Conditions, General Health, Health

By Ingfei Chen, Senior contributing editor

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Jennifer B.

10:56AM PST on Jan 28, 2012

i was diagnosed last year after having symptoms from the late '90s -- my mom also has this dreaded disease.

send a green star

Danuta W.

12:21AM PST on Nov 29, 2011

thanks for the article

Tysu J.

2:30PM PDT on Oct 13, 2011

Thank you for the informative article about parkinson's disease.

Carole R.

9:09PM PDT on Sep 12, 2011

Great information. Thanks.

KARLOLINA G.

3:04AM PDT on Sep 12, 2011

Interesting. Thanks for the information on the 10 signs.

Michele W.

4:11AM PDT on Aug 20, 2011

Thank you

Loo S.

9:44AM PDT on Aug 11, 2011

thanks for sharing.

Nichol H.

7:52PM PDT on Aug 7, 2011

My hubby, diagnosed with parkis in '95, has been completely recovered from all symptoms of parkis since '98. He is now a naturopath and has helped others reduce and/or eliminate their symptoms. For more info go to: www.returntostillness.com.au and/or http://www.parkinsonsrecoveryprogram.com/

7:49PM PDT on Aug 7, 2011

My hubby, diagnosed with parkis in '95, has been completely recovered from all symptoms of parkis since '98. He is now a naturopath and has helped others reduce and eliminate their symptoms. For more info go to: www.returntostillness.com.au and/or http://www.parkinsonsrecoveryprogram.com/

Tom R.

7:18PM PDT on Aug 5, 2011

My mother and one of her sisters died from the complications of the disease. Any help from stem-cell research should the Republicans not defund it?