Symptoms Archives | Page 2 of 5 | American Parkinson Disease Association

Understanding Weakness in Parkinson’s disease

Posted on November 7, 2023November 7, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Muscle weakness and Parkinson’s disease It is common for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to describe themselves as feeling...see more weak. They may say that their legs are “heavy”, feel like they’re “made out of lead”, or feel like they’re “in concrete.” And they may also feel weak all over or describe weakness in their hands […]

Finger twitching as a possible first symptom of Parkinson’s

Posted on October 11, 2023October 11, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

You will often hear that a person diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) first noticed something was “off” when a...see more finger (or fingers) started twitching. This twitching of the finger is also known as a tremor, which is a characteristic motor symptom of Parkinsons. Tremor is a rhythmic movement of a part of the body. A […]

Drug-induced parkinsonism

Posted on September 29, 2023June 12, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

What is drug-induced parkinsonism? The motor features of PD are often (but not always) very easy to see via a...see more neurologic exam in a doctor’s office. Rest tremor (which is a tremor that goes away with movement, but often returns when the limb is at rest) for example, is seen in virtually no other illness and can […]

Determining Symptoms: Is it Parkinson’s Disease or Aging?

Posted on August 22, 2023September 13, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Is it a Parkinson’s symptom or a symptom of aging? As people age, they encounter new symptoms which may...see more interfere with quality of life. The same is true for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The tricky thing is that there are many similar symptoms between the two causes! Often people with PD are left wondering: […]

Limited Expressions: Facial Masking and Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on May 30, 2023June 20, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Small and Restricted Facial Movements in Parkinson’s Disease Small, limited, constricted, constrained, slow – these words describe the movements...see more and overall functioning of many people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). In PD, steps are often short, posture can be stooped, voice volume can be low, and handwriting can become small. These symptoms are part of the […]

Parkinson’s Disease & Body Temperature Regulation

Posted on April 19, 2023April 19, 2023 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

The Reasons Behind Your Unexplained Temperature Changes Dysregulation of temperature as a non-motor symptom of PD Our bodies are...see more programmed to keep our internal temperature at a near-constant point, using very complex mechanisms. Parkinson’s disease (PD) can unfortunately interfere with this regulation, and it can significantly affect quality of life when these mechanisms don’t work […]

Personality Changes and Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on January 3, 2023April 22, 2024 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

The Effect of Parkinson’s Disease on Personality Through APDA’s Ask the Doctor portal, we receive many questions on a vast...see more array of topics. (Feel free to submit your own question at any time.) A frequent topic that readers ask us about is the effect of Parkinson’s disease (PD) on personality. Today, we will explore that difficult topic. What […]

Cognition and Parkinson’s Disease Q&A

Posted on November 8, 2022November 9, 2022 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Questions About Parkinson’s Disease & Cognitive Impairment Changes in cognition can unfortunately be a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s...see more disease (PD). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an early stage of cognitive difficulty that does not interfere with a person’s ability to perform activities independently but can nevertheless affect a person’s performance of more complex cognitive […]

Sleep Issues and Parkinson’s Disease Q&A

Posted on September 27, 2022September 27, 2022 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Dr. Gilbert Answers Questions About Parkinson’s Disease and Sleep Issues A recent episode of APDA’s Dr. Gilbert Hosts featured...see more special guest Dr. Maria Ospina, a movement disorders specialist, who spoke to us about sleep issues and Parkinson’s disease (PD), a very common symptom for people with PD. We covered a lot of ground during the […]

Questions to ask your doctor when you are first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease

Posted on August 30, 2022March 20, 2025 by Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Parkinson’s Disease Your doctor just told you that you have Parkinson’s disease (PD)....see more You might feel sad, nervous, or terrified. You might be shocked, or maybe you’re not that surprised because you had a feeling the diagnosis would be PD. No matter what emotions you’re experiencing: there is a […]

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Living with Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Resource Library

Research

Ways to Give