Briton Donna Marshall revealed in an interview with the Daily Mail that she had the first signs of Parkinson’s disease years before the diagnosis.
- Donna Marshall testified about the evolution of the symptoms of her Parkinson’s disease.
- Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative pathology characterized by slowness of movement, rigidity and tremors at rest.
- There is currently no treatment to stop the disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative pathology. Symptoms typically develop when 50 to 70 percent of dopamine neurons are destroyed and the brain is no longer able to compensate. To make a diagnosis, two of the three main manifestations of the disease must be present:
- slowness of movements;
- rigidity;
- tremor at rest.
Some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are early
However, Parkinson’s disease can cause more atypical symptoms, including loss of sense of smell. British Donna Marshall was diagnosed with this neurodegenerative condition at the age of 44, yet she began to lose her sense of smell around the age of 26. “I didn’t think much about it and it led to a loss of taste for food”she explained to Daily Mail.
A few years later, the patient noticed the appearance of tremors, symptoms indicative of Parkinson’s disease. “I was walking on the beach on White Island. I looked at my hand and it was shaking, I wondered why. Now I know it’s Parkinson’s disease”reported Donna Marshall.
“The worst part of Parkinson’s disease is dystonia”
Currently, there are treatments to improve the quality of life of patients, but they do not stop the progression of the disease. However, according to various studies, certain treatments have significant side effects and could trigger “impulse control disorders”.
During her interview, Donna Marshall said she had become a compulsive buyer. According to her, she spent thousands of euros on a Halloween party where she hired professional dancers and transformed her garden into a huge cemetery.
Now aged 54, Donna Marshall suffers from dystonia, in other words repetitive muscle contractions, which can be very painful and last for several hours. “The worst part of Parkinson’s is the dystonia, because I have cramps in my foot, then my back”she said.
“The worst part of Parkinson’s disease is dystonia”
There are currently treatments that can improve the quality of life of patients but cannot stop the progression of the disease. In addition, according to various studies, certain treatments have significant side effects and could trigger “impulse control disorders”.
During her interview, Donna Marshall explained that she had become a compulsive buyer. She said she spent thousands on a Halloween party where she hired professional dancers and turned her garden into a giant graveyard.
Now aged 54, she suffers from dystonia, that is to say repetitive muscle contractions which can be very painful and last several hours. “The worst part of Parkinson’s is the dystonia, because I have cramps in my foot, then my back”she clarified.
