Study on Parkinson's may lead to earlier diagnosis

MUMBAI: A new study could help earlier diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. According to a study by Newcastle University, researchers said that even in early stages of the disease people may experience symptoms.

While movement-- motor problems are the main symptom of Parkinson's disease, non-motor problems such as drooling, anxiety and bowel problems affect a large number of patients, and begin sooner than previously thought. Earlier diagnosis could lead to earlier treatment and therefore allow patients to have a better quality of life.

In the study, published on Tuesday in the medical journal, American Academy of Neurology, researchers from Newcastle University compared 159 people with newly-diagnosed Parkinson's disease to 99 people of similar ages who did not have the disease.

Participants were asked whether they experienced any of the 30 non-motor symptoms screened for, including sexual problems, sleep problems and gastrointestinal problems. Study author Dr Tien K Khoo said: ""Often people don't even mention these symptoms to their doctors, and doctors don't ask about them, yet many times they can be treated effectively.""

The people with Parkinson's disease had an average of eight of the non-motor problems, compared to three non-motor symptoms for the people who did not have the disease.

Among the most common symptoms for those with Parkinson's disease included drooling, urinary urgency, constipation, anxiety and a reduced sense of smell. These were all significantly more common in people with Parkinson's disease than in those without the disease.

For example, 56% of people with Parkinson have had problems with excess saliva or drooling, compared to 6% of those without the disease. A total of 42% of those with Parkinson's had constipation, compared to 7% of the control group. For anxiety, it was 43% compared to 10%.

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Study on Parkinson's may lead to earlier diagnosis