Parkinson disease most noticably affects motor control (muscle activity). The disease progresses differently for each individual. Some symptoms may progress faster in some people than others. Some Parkinson patients may develop problems that affect their intellect or ability to reason, or they may suffer from depression or anxiety.

 

Aprox 30% or people who are diagnosed with parkinson's can develope dementia, this can cause a short attention span and personality changes.

About 40% of people with parkinsons, have great depression, which consists of a low self asstiem and sadness. Some people even have a great deal of anxiety, this can result in sudden panic attacts, which can cause, sweating,choking, caughing and,or fainting. Depression or anxiety may appear before motor symptoms develop or they may appear as a reaction to motor symptoms.(can occure before or after you loose control of your arms and legs. depending on who and which case, it can vary)

Many people with Parkinson disease also suffer from a very hard time  to sleep at night coupled with daytime drowsiness. This sleep disturbance may be caused by anxiety or depression, or it could be a side effect of drugs used to treat Parkinson symptoms.

Some medical conditions initially produce symptoms similar to those of Parkinson disease, but within two to five years additional symptoms usually develop that enable doctors to distinguish the conditions from Parkinson disease. For example, a disease called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) produces slowness of movement and difficulty with balance, resembling Parkinson disease. However, people with PSP also develop eye movement problems that prevent them from looking up, down, or sideways without moving the head, and these symptoms can be used to distinguish this condition from Parkinson disease. When some symptoms appear in a paitent it can be difficult to at first tell if it is parkinson's diease. Therefore investigation of the paitent can include quizes about drugs, past illnesses etc. Over a period of time the doctor can figure out if you have parkinson's diease. Not usually can you have one of the symptoms and a doctor can right away say you have parkinson's diease.

Motor Control Problems consits of the person to loose control of you limbs causing them to usually tremble and shake.Although this is not always the case it can casue scrunching up in your hand making it hard to wirte as you will read on and other problems. Doctors look for the presence of four main symptoms in patients they suspect may have Parkinson disease. Tremor (the involuntary shaking of limbs) is the major symptom for most people who have Parkinson disease, although at least a third of people diagnosed with the disease do not develop this symptom. Tremor typically begins in one hand but may eventually progress to the other hand, as well as to the arms, legs, and jaw.

Parkinson disease may also produce stiffness of the joints, similar to arthritis, and rigidity of the limbs, in which muscles are tensed, or contracted. This rigidity makes movement hard and may contribute to muscle ache. Often the rigidity impairs the small muscles of the hand, making everyday tasks such as buttoning a shirt or writing not an easy job. The most disabling symptom of Parkinson disease is bradykinesia, which causes slowness in all voluntary movement and speech and contributes to varied problems, such as a distinctive shuffling walk and small, cramped handwriting.

Parkinson disease also causes postural instability, in which a person has difficulty adjusting to changes in body position. A healthy person who trips and starts to fall is able to quickly move the trunk and limbs to prevent or ease the fall(such as putting out your arms quickly when about to or are falling) But people with postural instability who trip cannot move fast enough to stop or lessen their fall. This impaired reflex typically appears as unsteadiness or lack of balance.

Several secondary symptoms accompany Parkinson disease, some of which are caused by one or more of these principal symptoms. For example, many people with Parkinson disease have difficulty walking, resulting from a combination of bradykinesia and postural instability. Their walking is marked by short, shuffling steps that sometimes inadvertently quicken into a short run. Their balance problems may cause them to stagger forward or backward, giving them a lurching gait. They may have difficulty turning or stopping as they walk, or sometimes may inexplicably come to an abrupt stop. Other secondary symptoms include difficulty speaking or swallowing, an unchanging or masklike facial expression, drooling, dizziness when moving from a seated to a standing position, difficult urination, and impotence. Many patients find these secondary symptoms more troubling than the principal symptoms.