April 11 is World Parkinson's Day. Parkinson's disease, also known as tremor paralysis, is caused by degeneration of neurons in the brain. In recent years, the incidence of Parkinson's disease among young and middle-aged people has increased. Zhi Yinghao, a Chinese physician who is the director of the Rehabilitation Department of Wenzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, said in an interview that timely identification of Parkinson's disease symptoms is the key and basis for early diagnosis, which can avoid delayed treatment.
According to Zhi Yinghao, Parkinson's disease is related to aging, environment, heredity and other factors. The high-risk population of Parkinson's disease includes people with family history of Parkinson's disease and related gene carriers, who often use or contact chemical products such as pesticides, and people with traumatic brain injury and previous melanoma history in the early stage.
"The symptoms of Parkinson's disease often appear gradually, usually only on one side of the body at the beginning, and eventually both sides will be affected as the disease progresses.". Zhi Yinghao said that people with Parkinson's disease will show different symptoms, the most common of which are tremor, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement. These symptoms are related to movement, and are called motor symptoms.
In addition, patients with Parkinson's disease also have the following non motor symptoms. One is sensory disturbance, which may lead to olfaction loss in the early stage, and limb numbness and pain in the middle and late stages of the disease. The second is sleep disorder, which is often manifested as yelling, punching and kicking while sleeping. The third is mental disorder. A considerable number of patients have cognitive impairment or even dementia, and some patients are accompanied by anxiety and depression. Fourth, autonomic nervous dysfunction, which can be manifested as intractable constipation, excessive sweating, increased sebum overflow, poor urination, etc.
Zhi Yinghao reminded that tremor is a typical symptom of Parkinson's disease, but not all tremors are Parkinson's. The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is mainly based on clinical manifestations. It also requires physical examination by a specialist, combined with imaging, drug reaction test and other auxiliary inspection means for comprehensive diagnosis.
How to prevent and treat Parkinson's disease? Zhi Yinghao said that some studies have shown that physical exercise, moderate drinking of coffee and tea, and healthy eating habits may prevent Parkinson's disease. In addition, the key to early diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease is to find the high-risk population of Parkinson's disease as soon as possible and carry out targeted intervention and management.
