Parkinson’s disease is a pathology that affects the black substance of the brain. It is expressed in the gradual suppression of the work of neurons and the deterioration of the physical and intellectual resources of the body. It develops very slowly. A common comorbid symptom is depression.
Until the beginning of the 21st century, Parkinson’s disease was considered an age-related disease, but now it also manifests itself in young people in their 20s and 30s. Moreover, there are many reasons for the sharp rejuvenation of the disease, and it is not always possible to recognize it and start treatment on time.
Peculiarities
A healthy body has the necessary set of reflexes with which it reacts to stimuli. For example, we wince when the sun hits our eyes. When brain neurons are damaged, the reactions slow down, become mild, until the body stops moving altogether.
With the development of parkinsonism at a young age, such processes proceed more slowly than in old people, and will slow down even more with the necessary treatment and supportive care.
A person is able to live more than 10 years without succumbing to illness if he follows the instructions of the doctor. Adequate treatment can eliminate all visible changes and maintain the usual standard of living.
Causes
Scientists spend a lot of time researching the phenomenon of early Parkinson’s. Thanks to the work of many major experts, the main causes of symptoms of Parkinson’s disease at a young age in women and men have been identified:
- severe brain infection, encephalitis;
- traumatic brain injury;
- obesity;
- carbon dioxide poisoning;
- genetic features;
- abnormal changes in blood vessels in the brain;
- complication after serious diseases: tumors of the brain, heart, atherosclerosis;
- excessive use of neuroleptics – drugs intended for the treatment of severe mental disorders.
Previously, there was a theory about the possible transmission of the syndrome by inheritance, but recent genetic studies have refuted it.
Statistics show that among patients with Parkinson’s, young people are no more than 20%. However, it must be borne in mind that the correct diagnosis when contacting a doctor is not always made.
Since the disease is rare and was not previously considered characteristic of young people, when dealing with and complaining of muscle pain, even an experienced doctor will first of all suspect arthritis.
At what age Parkinson’s disease manifests itself, it is impossible to predict in advance.
In the vast majority of cases, Parkinson’s syndrome at a young age is caused by a negative effect on the brain and is a complication of any pathological process.
Additional problems in the diagnosis are created by the late manifestation of symptoms. A healthy young body begins to give up only in the last stages, when it is too late to provide effective help.
signs
You should pay attention to the signs and symptoms of parkinsonism (Parkinson’s disease) in young people, men and girls in their 20s and 30s. The first ones appear imperceptibly, and only a very experienced doctor who has already encountered similar cases will be able to understand from them what is really happening. And advanced, obvious signs appear when the pathology passes to the last stage.
Most often, it all starts with mental disorders. A sick person gradually sinks into depression and loses the meaning of life, and then somatic manifestations follow.
The main feature of parkinsonism in young people is the simultaneous defeat of up to 80% of the neurons of the substantia nigra and other parts of the brain, which does not happen with the development of the disease in old age. For this reason, in addition to the physical symptoms of Parkinson’s in young people, mental ones are added, confusing even experienced professionals.
Another feature is the absence of a complex of symptoms. The first signs of Parkinson’s disease at a young age in people, men and girls, appear one by one or in a small group, leading to misdiagnosis.
The most common signs of Parkinson’s are:
- Painful muscle spasms that resemble arthritis, most often in the shoulder or foot.
- Tremor of the limbs. But due to the youth of the body, it has a low, virtually imperceptible, amplitude.
- Insomnia.
- Bad appetite.
- Constant urge to urinate.
- Jumps in blood pressure.
- Constipation.
- Impaired coordination. Especially if you need to carry out a complex maneuver. A person begins to stumble often, move more slowly, slouch.
- Violation of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Fever manifests itself in different ways. Some patients are constantly hot, others cold.
Sexual characteristics
Not all signs of Parkinson’s manifest themselves in a complex way at a young age in women. Therefore, many patients do not receive the necessary care on time and the disease continues to progress.
How Parkinson’s disease begins in young women, doctors cannot track. But in the later stages, patients show recognizable signs:
- handwriting becomes illegible;
- muscle spasms, often some emotion freezes on the face, although the person is completely calm at this time;
- tremor increases;
- speech is disturbed;
- bouts of stupor occur;
- signs of clinical depression appear, expressed in constant pessimistic ideas and a general depressed state.