With age, a person becomes susceptible to a large number of specific, degenerative diseases. Among them is Parkinson’s disease, the signs of which in old age occur in 1% of people on the planet. This is a high figure for this type of pathology.
For the first time this term (Parkinson’s syndrome) sounded more than 200 years ago, and all this time scientists have been actively studying it. However, it is still impossible to diagnose the disease before the onset of symptoms, nor to cure the sick person.
Even the exact list of reasons has not yet been identified. After all, even people who lead a healthy lifestyle, who maintain a clear mind and the ability for productive intellectual activity until old age, are susceptible to this disease.
Causes of the development of signs of Parkinson’s disease in old age
Parkinson’s syndrome (more common than the disease of the same name) is a violation of the central nervous system. It begins to develop when the cells of the substantia nigra of the brain reduce the rate of synthesis of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
The manifestations and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, like the syndrome, are due to a pronounced deficiency of dopamine.
As soon as the deficiency of this neurotransmitter in the cerebral cortex reaches 80%, the first signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in the elderly will begin to appear. As a rule, this occurs after 50 years. The disease lasts for decades, gradually progressing.
Neurological pathology
Early signs of Parkinson’s disease in old age:
- Change in muscle tone or rigidity. The patient becomes slow, it is more difficult for him to make the body work at the usual speed. The extremities are particularly affected.
- Tremor or shaking. It starts slowly. Light shaking of the head, periodically quivering lips, trembling of hands with a small amplitude, imperceptible even to the pensioner himself.
- Handwriting deterioration. Gradually, the trembling will intensify, become more and more noticeable, uncomfortable for everyday life. In the last stages of the disease, it is impossible to hold objects in your hands, to eat on your own.
- Slow movement. Hypokinesia is manifested in a decrease in the speed and amplitude of movement. Steps become shorter, the pace of walking or working with hands slows down.
- Loss of balance, instability. A pensioner may fall, turning around sharply, it is more difficult for him to quickly change body positions, quickly get up or change directions of movement, and evade danger.
- Depressive state against the background of a gradual loss of physical form, opportunities.
Non-brain pathology
With a gradual deterioration of the patient’s condition, not only the main symptoms of Parkinson progress. Over time, sick pensioners also show:
- problems with the work of the gastrointestinal tract, urination;
- increased sweating , salivation, because of this, the skin and hair become more oily, greasy;
- sleep problems, difficulty in moving even in bed leads to restless intermittent sleep, insomnia;
a tendency to solitude, a voluntary withdrawal from society, grouchiness, irritability, a tendency to simple monotonous activities.
In many ways, mental disorders are the result of a constant feeling of constraint, limited movement. Over time, without the support of loved ones, the patient may develop clinical depression, suicidal tendencies, and hysteria.
Stages of development
Modern medicine distinguishes 5 main stages of the manifestation of Parkinson’s disease and two additional transitional periods, marking the deterioration after stages 1 and 2.
Each of them has its own characteristics, which must be understood in order to understand how Parkinson’s disease proceeds in old age:
- Stage 0 , the disease has already begun, the amount of dopamine is gradually decreasing, but it is almost impossible to determine this, since there are no physical signs.
- 1st stage . An asymmetric weak tremor of one limb begins. Rigidity appears. The person moves a little slower, feels some stiffness than usual. Hand tremors often appear only during physical or emotional activity.
- Stage 2 . The tremor intensifies, gradually spreading to the second hand, face.
- 3 stage . Trembling intensifies, problems with coordination and orientation in space begin. A person can no longer work, but is able to independently cope with most household needs.
- 4 stage . Increasing disorientation. The patient is able to move only for short distances, often loses his balance, can easily be seriously injured when falling. Needs 24/7 supervision and care.
- 5 stage . The ability to move independently is lost. The person either lies or moves in a wheelchair. Even changing the position while lying in bed becomes difficult. Intellectual degradation is actively taking place. Loss of ability to speak and swallow.
Process dynamics
An important criterion is also the rate of progression of pathology and deterioration of the condition.
If a person is old, has many concomitant diseases, his body is physically weak, or he ignores the treatment and prevention offered by doctors, then the transition from stage to stage occurs quickly.
Given these features, doctors classify the rate of progression of Parkinson’s disease in pensioners :
- Swift. The deterioration is fast. Stages are replaced by a more difficult one in about 2 years.
- Moderate. The transition takes 2 to 5 years depending on the stage and the accompanying care.
- Slowly developing. In one stage, a person is from 5 years or more.
Modern medicine provides a variety of tools to significantly slow down parkinsonism, even in very old age.
Subject to all the recommendations of the doctor, the patient will live with a similar diagnosis for more than a dozen years, while maintaining the quality of life.
How to treat Parkinson’s disease in the elderly
Treatment of Parkinson’s disease in the elderly is supportive, as symptoms cannot be completely eliminated. Doctors can only stabilize the condition and delay the critical deterioration of health as much as possible.
Complex treatment is prescribed:
- Permissible physical activity, exercise therapy . The specialist selects the necessary load and sets of exercises individually, in accordance with the physical condition of the patient.
- Medications are used to relieve some of the symptoms. Especially in the later stages, the goal is to maintain the level of dopamine, slow down its decline.
- Psychotherapy sessions. They are necessary to support a person, to prevent depression from developing. Without the support of specialists, close people, patients with parkinsonism often fence themselves off from society, lose their purpose in life.
An obligatory point in maintaining the condition of the elderly is the periodic intake of complexes of vitamins and minerals.
There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease in an elderly person, but it is possible to significantly slow down the development of symptoms, giving many more years of active life.