How to medicate for the rigidity in Parkinson's disease?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on September 11, 2024
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Parkinson's disease presents with rigidity, mainly due to increased muscle tone and muscle rigidity, which is a very important clinical manifestation of Parkinson's disease. The medications used for rigidity in Parkinson's disease mainly include the following types. The first type is dopamine receptor agonists, which can improve limb muscle rigidity to some extent and delay the progression of the disease. The second type of medication is levodopa preparations, which are currently the gold standard for treating Parkinson's disease. Many patients experience significant clinical improvement after taking the medication. The third type of medication includes some anticholinergic drugs. These drugs are particularly effective against tremors and also have some effect in improving rigidity. Medication for Parkinson's disease must be taken under the guidance of a doctor. It is also important to note that levodopa preparations should be taken on an empty stomach or two hours after a meal for better efficacy.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

The main symptoms of Parkinson's disease are divided into two major categories: motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms. The motor symptoms include bradykinesia and hypokinesia, specifically characterized by slow movement speed and reduced amplitude. In daily life, this results in clumsiness with actions such as difficulty standing up, small arm swings while walking, or even no swinging at all, a lack of facial expressions, and progressively smaller handwriting. The second type is resting tremor, which includes pill-rolling movements along with muscle rigidity and postural and gait imbalances, such as a panicked gait or taking very small steps that accelerate and become faster without the ability to stop or turn promptly. Non-motor symptoms include issues such as olfactory dysfunction, sleep disturbances, constipation, and depression.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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What department to see for Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a very common degenerative neurological disorder in neurology, so if you go for treatment, you should definitely see a neurologist. Many neurologists have a high level of expertise in Parkinson's disease and have extensive experience in its diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment. Patients with Parkinson's disease generally exhibit significant motor slowness, such as dressing, buttoning, wrapping dumplings, and eating very slowly, and they also walk very slowly. In addition, they may also display obvious resting tremors, muscle rigidity, general fatigue, unstable walking posture, and other clinical manifestations. Moreover, they might experience some constipation, anxiety, depression, and reduced sense of smell among other related clinical symptoms. Therefore, for this disease, visiting a neurologist is sufficient, and you can definitely expect a very satisfactory diagnosis and treatment.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Is tremor Parkinson's disease?

Tremor and Parkinson's disease are two completely different concepts. Tremor is not necessarily Parkinson's disease, and Parkinson's disease does not necessarily involve tremor. Tremor is just a clinical symptom that can appear in many diseases. In addition to Parkinson's disease, there are also some essential tremors which are genetic. Patients usually experience tremors in their hands when maintaining certain postures, and may also have head tremors. This is a relatively benign disease with a generally good prognosis. Additionally, patients with hyperthyroidism may also experience limb tremors, but this is not Parkinson's disease. Moreover, many patients with Parkinson's disease experience bradykinesia and rigidity, and might not necessarily have limb tremors. Therefore, these two concepts are different; tremor is not necessarily Parkinson's disease.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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The causes of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease, also known as tremor paralysis, is a common neurodegenerative disorder. The cause of Parkinson's disease is not yet clear, but it may be related to several factors, such as aging, genetics, and environmental factors. Since Parkinson's disease is the result of multiple factors, including abnormal protein aggregation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and excitotoxicity of glutamate, these elements lead to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain and a reduction in dopamine neurotransmitters in the striatum. This ultimately results in the patient's bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and resting tremor.

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Geriatrics
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How long does the course of Parkinson's disease usually last?

The course of Parkinson's disease generally lasts for how long? Parkinson's disease, also known as shaking palsy, is a common neurodegenerative disease, and the age at onset varies. For early-onset Parkinson's disease, it generally starts around age 40 to 50, while late-onset Parkinson's disease generally starts after age 50. As age gradually increases, the course of Parkinson's disease is generally about 20 to 40 years. Once diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, it is a lifelong condition. This disease is incurable, and can only be managed through medications, surgical treatments, physical rehabilitation, and psychological therapies to improve or control symptoms, but it cannot be cured. Therefore, once diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the disease is lifelong.