Learn more about juvenile Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is the third killer of the middle-aged and elderly after tumors and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The prevalence rate of people over 65 years old is 1.7%. Clinically, it is mainly manifested by slow movement, tremor (hand shaking), and muscle stiffness. The latest statistics show that there are more than 2.7 million Parkinson's patients in my country, and the number of new patients exceeds 100,000 each year; surprisingly, nearly 80% of patients do not know about Parkinson's disease before going to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Everyone thinks that Parkinson's disease is an old age disease and is far away from us, but the fact is that young Parkinson's disease is around us, but we don't know "him" yet.

Juvenile Parkinson's disease is the disease that occurs between the ages of 21 and 50. The disease that occurs before the age of 21 is called juvenile Parkinson's disease, which accounts for 5-10% of the total number of Parkinson's disease patients. It may be related to gene mutations and often has a family history.

Come on, don’t be afraid. You may as well take one minute to test yourself on the following 12 questions. If you answer “yes” to more than 3 questions, it is necessary to go to the hospital for treatment!

1. Do you have trouble rising from a chair?

2. Has your handwriting become smaller than before?

3. Has anyone ever told you that your voice has gotten quieter than it used to be?

4. Do you fall easily when walking?

5. Do your feet sometimes suddenly feel like they are glued to the ground and you can’t lift them up?

6. Are your facial expressions not as expressive as they used to be?

7. Do you have tremors in your arms or legs?

8. Do you have difficulty buttoning your clothes yourself?

9. Do you shuffle your feet and take small steps when you walk?

10. Do you have a loss of smell or taste?

11. Are you constipated?

12. Do you often have nightmares, scream, or even fall out of bed when you sleep?

Don’t ignore these early signs of Parkinson’s!

I have good news for you. This disease can be cured, and the drug treatment is effective, which can alleviate symptoms and improve the quality of life. But there is also bad news, that is, you can't stop taking the medicine. The treatment of Parkinson's disease is mainly based on internal medicine drug treatment, with the participation of surgery, functional rehabilitation, psychological counseling, nursing and other methods.

Physical exercise such as Tai Chi, yoga, and tango has been shown to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. A healthy lifestyle and physical exercise seem to be the eternal rules of health, and Parkinson's disease is no exception. It is also very important to develop good living habits and maintain healthy blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar levels.