Recognizing Non-motor Symptoms in PD
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is often thought of in terms of its motor symptoms, such as slowness of movement, stiffness, and tremor. While l-dopa and dopaminergic drugs can help alleviate the motor symptoms of PD, patients are often also troubled by common non-motor symptoms such as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances, constipation, urinary and sexual problems, and disturbed mood or cognition. The good news is there are ways to address these problems, such as with other medications, visits to PD specialized therapists, exercise, dance, and other movement regimes. An awareness of non-motor symptoms and their connection to PD can help people with Parkinson’s find therapists, activities, and solutions that may alleviate the symptoms. In this podcast, Dr. Daniel Van Wamelen of King’s College in London discusses non-motor symptoms and ways to address them.