Neurology Medicine

Psychological problems are fairly common during the illness: often the type of depression, anxiety, irritability or sometimes ideas of persecution. The intellectual impairment is rare, and it should suggest other diagnoses (see other parkinsonian syndromes). Visual hallucinations occur occasionally, but almost always after many years of evolution or in some treatments, if again we must mention other diagnoses.
NB: One of the signs frequently sought by the physician is the naso-palpebral reflex inexhaustible: it is the reflex closure of the eyes when you hit (gently) the root of the nose. Normally, this reflex closure does not occur after some percussion, so it reproduces almost indefinitely at the Parkinson’s disease. (Caution: This sign is suggestive of Parkinson’s disease, but does not absolutely certain that it does, it can even occur among people in perfect health)

Additional examinations and tests
Additional tests are normal in Parkinson’s disease, and none is indispensable. However, you can practice more often a brain scan or MRI, to search for other diseases (see diagnostics eliminate) other tests are sometimes performed if any signs of clinical or changes are not absolutely typical of Parkinson’s disease: lumbar puncture, EEG, blood tests. An electrocardiogram can search for cons-indications to certain anti-Parkinson, a uro-dynamic balance is charged if there are urinary net to specify the type of these disorders and to better tailor their treatment.

Disease course
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic disease; the treatments can greatly improve but not cure. Initially, the symptoms are usually mild, does not always require treatment. The beginning of the treatment almost always accompanied by a significant improvement or even disappearance of the signs of the disease. This period of high efficacy, sometimes called “honeymoon” usually lasts several years. After this period more or less prolonged, treatment efficiency is lower and you must increase the dose of medication, which exposes them to undesirable effects, most of the responses to treatment change and fluctuations appear (s disorder ‘ accentuate then decline or disappear several times a day), abnormal movements such dyskinesia (uncontrolled rapid movement of certain body parts) of dystopia (stiffness of body parts), periods of blockage of the body ‘sis the stage of motor complications. Higher doses increased the incidence of drug compliance, the combination of several drugs or other treatments are necessary.

Do not confuse with …
We distinguish Parkinson’s disease from other parkinsonian syndromes, which manifest themselves in the same symptoms (extrapyramidal symptoms known) but did not cause or even the same pattern: in particular taking antipsychotics or certain other medications stroke (stroke) repeated so-called “incomplete statements; other degenerative neurological diseases more common than Parkinson’s disease (atrophy multi-systematized disease diffuse Lewy body), hydrocephalus (excess fluid cerebrospinal fluid in the brain) disorders of the metabolism of copper, iron, and some poisoning with manganese, cobalt, mercury, carbon monoxide, repeated head trauma syndrome (boxers) and certain brain tumors (very rare).