BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Parkinson’s Disease is commonly known as a movement disorder that affects the nervous system. But professionals say one lesser-known symptom affects about half of patients.
- April is National Parkinson’s Disease Awareness month; and while you may be aware of the movement disorder, there are non-motor symptoms that are less widely-known.
- Nearly half of patients with Parkinson’s disease experience hallucinations and delusions.
- 23ABC Neighborhood Reporter Avery Elowitt talked to a local doctor, who shares what Parkinson's Disease Psychosis is.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Founder of Jeri Yvonne Movement Disorders Neurology in Bakersfield — Doctor Jeri Williams — says Parkinson’s Disease affects about one million people in the United States, making it the second largest neurodegenerative disease in the world.
“Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative process,” said Dr. Williams. “Basically, the part of the… brain, so the substantia nigra, you stop having the ability to make dopamine over time. And therefore once you get to a certain point that you can’t make the dopamine, you start to manifest symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease.”
Symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease include a tremor, muscle stiffness, or difficulty walking.
“Because this is a neurodegenerative disorder, unfortunately, there is no cure,” said Dr. Williams. “So what we try to do is use different medications to help replete the dopamine...”
About 50% of those diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease experience what’s called Parkinson's Disease Psychosis.
“Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis is one of the most troubling non-motor symptoms that we have to treat as moving disorder neurologists and general neurologists,” said Dr. Williams.
Patients may hear or see things that are not there, experience paranoia, or false beliefs.
“And the biggest problem is many people think, okay, now this person has dementia. But no, you could still have a good memory, you could still have your cognitive function intact, but still have the psychosis, which could be false beliefs, false beliefs about others, seeing or hearing things that aren’t there, even feeling things that may not be there,” said Dr. Williams.
Dr. Williams says there is only one medication to treat Parkinson's Disease Psychosis, called Nuplazid.
But there are other possible causes that doctors would need to rule out before determining if their patient has Parkinson's Disease Psychosis, such as medication dosage or UTI’s.
Dr. Williams said, “... most patients with Parkinson’s Disease are about like 60s and up. So they’re more prone to psychosis related to urinary tract infections or other infections. So it’s not always pure Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis.”
While there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, Dr. Williams says she’s seen a big difference– just by a change in attitude.
“Yes, we know that it is incurable. But I’m someone who's glass half-full,” said Dr. Williams. “And because of all of the great research and drug development and everything out there, I like to let my patients know, ‘Hey, we try to fight this. We try to be as positive as possible.’ Those patients tend to do the best.”
Dr. Williams says exercise is one of the best tools to slow down the disease's progress.
She says if you notice someone walking funny, or they have a shuffling gait, or they’re not swinging one of their arms while walking– these may mean it's time to check in with a doctor.
“Don’t give up,” said Dr. Williams. “Match yourself with the right doctor, they could get you the right sort of special cocktail of drugs or whatever the case may be for you so that you can continue to maintain your quality of life or improve your quality of life.”
Here are some resources for Parkinson’s Disease patients and caregivers:
- Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
- American Parkinson Disease Association
- Bakersfield Parkinson’s Support Group
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