Is Anemia A Symptom Of Parkinson’s

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What Are The Different Stages Of Parkinsons Disease

Each person with Parkinsons disease experiences symptoms in in their own unique way. Not everyone experiences all symptoms of Parkinsons disease. You may not experience symptoms in the same order as others. Some people may have mild symptoms; others may have intense symptoms. How quickly symptoms worsen also varies from individual to individual and is difficult to impossible to predict at the outset.

In general, the disease progresses from early stage to mid-stage to mid-late-stage to advanced stage. This is what typically occurs during each of these stages:

Early stage

Early symptoms of Parkinsons disease are usually mild and typically occur slowly and do not interfere with daily activities. Sometimes early symptoms are not easy to detect or you may think early symptoms are simply normal signs of aging. You may have fatigue or a general sense of uneasiness. You may feel a slight tremor or have difficulty standing.

Often, a family member or friend notices some of the subtle signs before you do. They may notice things like body stiffness or lack of normal movement slow or small handwriting, lack of expression in your face, or difficulty getting out of a chair.

Mid stage

Mid-late stage

Standing and walking are becoming more difficult and may require assistance with a walker. You may need full time help to continue to live at home.

Advanced stage

When Cancer Is Associated With Anemia

The association is infrequent, but the explanation is that Any advanced cancer can cause anemia by causing inflammation, causing bone marrow suppression and decrease in production of red cells or sometimes destruction of red cells, says Mark Levandovsky, MD, Founder and Medical Director of Preventive Medicine and Cancer Care. Dr. Levandovsky is a board certified internist and oncologist/hematologist in practice for over 17 years.

In a more advanced setting bleeding is also possible, with anemia as a result, continues Dr. Levandovsky.

Significant Increase In Risk

During their analysis, the scientists accounted for a range of variables that might skew the results. These included age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index , , kidney function, and levels.

The scientists found that people with high and low hemoglobin levels had an increased risk of dementia compared with individuals with mid range levels. The authors write:

Compared no anemia, the presence of anemia was associated with a 34% increase in the risk of all cause dementia, and 41% increase for .

When the scientists analyzed the data, they found a parallel correlation. People with higher and lower levels of hemoglobin had a greater number of lesions in their white matter and reduced connectivity between brain areas.

The researchers also showed that individuals with anemia were 45% more likely to have at least one microbleed than those without anemia. Microbleeds are tiny brain hemorrhages, most likely by structural abnormalities in blood vessels. Having more microbleeds is with cognitive decline and dementia.

This study cannot prove that hemoglobin levels cause dementia. For instance, the authors ask if underlying or associated vascular or metabolic changes, perhaps involving iron or B-9 and B-12, might be driving the association.

Similarly, the researchers note that anemia can occur as part of many conditions, ranging from rare conditions to more common occurrences .

Alternatively, a lack of iron might be part of the problem. As the authors outline:

Key Measures For The Prevention Of Complications

• Parkinsons disease nurse specialists should support patients and caregivers by clarifying concerns and implementing a treatment plan.

• Patients, caregivers and medical staff are responsible for bringing all the medication updated, and paying attention to medication timings.

• If at all possible, avoid changing abruptly or changing more than one antiparkinsonian medication at a time.

• Patients and caregivers should be provided with a list of drugs capable of worsening parkinsonism.

• Patients taking dopamine agonists should be informed about sleep attacks and risk of impulse-control disorders before starting treatment and regularly during follow-up.

• Periodically, at least annually, review falls, sleepiness, cognition, autonomic disturbances and psychiatric symptoms.

• Disease rehabilitative therapy should be proposed to minimise complications such as falls and swallowing problems.

• In case of elective admission, it is important to plan in advance how to make medication changes. If oral medication intake is limited, consider transdermal agonists, enteral administration of usual medication, and levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel infusion.

Who Is Most Likely To Develop Anemia

Anyone can develop anemia, although the following groups have a higher risk:

• Women: Blood loss during monthly periods and childbirth can lead to anemia. This is especially true if you have heavy periods or a condition like .
• Children, ages 1 to 2: The body needs more iron during growth spurts.
• Infants: Infants may get less iron when they are weaned from breast milk or formula to solid food. Iron from solid food is not as easily taken up by the body.
• People over 65: People over 65 are more likely to have iron-poor diets and certain chronic diseases.
• People on blood thinners: These medications include drugs include aspirin, clopidogrel , warfarin , heparin products, apixaban , betrixaban , dabigatran , edoxaban and rivaroxaban .

Research To Find Msa Biomarkers And An Earlier Msa Diagnosis

An important goal of the Coalitions MSA Research Program is to fund and encourage the development of biomarkers to distinguish PD from MSA at a much earlier stage.The stakes are high.An accurate biomarker could lead to quicker development of treatments.In fact, a concern in past clinical trials of MSA treatments that failed is that maybe the patients in the trial are too late stage to show effectiveness.Increasing the number of known early stage MSA patients could improve the likelihood of finding treatments and even a cure.

Some Cancers That Can Result In Anemia

Cervical Metastases to the bone marrow Myeloma Urinary tract Vaginal

Typically, for anemia to be present, cancer burden would be significant enough for other symptoms to be noted alsoso anemia alone would be atypical, says Levandovsky.

:Potential exceptions may be gastrointestinal cancers, especially colorectal ones where early stage cancers can cause iron-deficiency anemias without other symptoms.

If your doctor, during a routine physical or an exam for a benign condition, happens to mention that you look really pale and wants to order a blood test for anemia, do not panic.

Its logical to suppose that dermatologists would make this observation less frequently than would physicians of other specialties, as they would more likely associate pale skin with healthy skin , while skin with color could suggest overexposure to the sun.

The doctor who ordered a blood test for me, due to my pale facial skin was an OBGYN. My blood test was normal.

But its good when doctors are making these observations when the patient is being examined for an unrelated issue.

Dr. Levandovsky provides personalized care to health conscious individuals as well as cancer patients and survivors, focusing on an integration of genetic/molecular risk assessments, prevention, education, nutrition and psycho-oncology.

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Other Causes Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Although the symptoms of pernicious anemia are caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, it is not the only possible cause of such a deficiency. This can be caused by other situations, including ones that decrease effective absorption of vitamin B12.

Potential causes include Crohns disease, parasitic infection, poor dietary intake , medication side effects , or as a side effect of certain surgeries done on the gastrointestinal tract. Pernicious anemia is estimated to be the underlying cause of vitamin B12 deficiency around 20% to 50% of the time.

Technically speaking, pernicious anemia just refers to a vitamin B12 deficiency due to lack of intrinsic factor . However, sometimes people use the term more broadly to refer to anemia and other problems that come from vitamin B12 deficiency from any cause.

Extremely rarely, pernicious anemia can be caused by a genetic condition, in which the body cant make intrinsic factor normally. This type is called congenital pernicious anemia or intrinsic factor deficiency. Unlike the more common form, symptoms usually begin in childhood.

Types And Symptoms Of Dementia

Changes in the structure and chemistry of the brain cause memory and thinking problems in Parkinsons disease . The protein is central to Parkinsons. This protein forms sticky clumps, called Lewy bodies, that disrupt normal brain functioning. Parkinsons dementia is thought to be related to Lewy bodies.

Stiffness And Slow Movement

Parkinsons disease mainly affects adults older than 60. You may feel stiff and a little slow to get going in the morning at this stage of your life. This is a completely normal development in many healthy people. The difference with PD is that the stiffness and slowness it causes dont go away as you get up and start your day.

Stiffness of the limbs and slow movement appear early on with PD. These symptoms are caused by the impairment of the neurons that control movement. A person with PD will notice jerkier motions and move in a more uncoordinated pattern than before. Eventually, a person may develop the characteristic shuffling gait.

Illustrative Case Of Parkinsonism

A 73-year-old man with a 15-year history of Parkinsons disease was admitted for neurosurgical evacuation of traumatic subdural haematoma. His parkinsonism had deteriorated in the last 3 months despite high daily levodopa dosage . During the postoperative period, his bradykinesia and rigidity markedly worsened. There was no clear improvement despite increasing the levodopa in combination with dopamine agonists in several presentations . He became confused, febrile and diaphoretic. On examination, he had marked generalised rigidity and bradykinesia. CT scan of head was normal. Other factors that may aggravate parkinsonism, such as addition of dopaminergic blockers, and concurrent medical conditions, were ruled out. Blood tests showed high muscle enzyme levels and markers of acute renal failure. Response to dopaminergic therapy remained minimal. He later developed shortness of breath and tachycardia. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed and he was admitted to the intensive care unit. Levodopa was administered via a nasogastric tube and intense physiotherapy implemented with gradual improvement of his health status although daily functioning was still significantly impaired despite continuous dopaminergic therapy.

• Learning points: Risk and contributor factors to develop parkinsonism-hyperpyrexia syndrome; benefit of nasogastric levodopa administration in cases with an inappropriate oral intake; the relevance of paying attention to systemic complications.

Could Dementia And Anemia Be Linked

Tim Newman

A recent study has concluded that people with both higher-than-normal and lower-than-normal levels of hemoglobin have a higher risk of developing dementia as they age.

Hemoglobin is a protein present in red blood cells.

It is responsible for carrying life giving oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Low levels of hemoglobin normally signify .

Anemia is one of the most common blood disorders; worldwide, it affects an estimated 1.62 billion people.

Low hemoglobin levels are linked to a number of adverse health outcomes, including and coronary heart disease. However, there is little information regarding how hemoglobin levels might relate to the risk of .

Recently, researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, decided to look for links between hemoglobin levels, anemia, and dementia. They published their findings this week in the journal .

Earlier experiments had found an between anemia and dementia, but most studies only followed participants for an average of 3 years.

Because of the relatively short duration of these investigations, subtle changes in behavior, diet, or metabolism during the early phases of dementia might explain the association they found.

The researchers decided to extend this time frame to develop a clearer picture.

In males, anemia rates increased with age, but in females, anemia was most common before menopause.

During the 12-year follow-up period, 1,520 of these individuals developed dementia.

How Does Anemia Affect Pregnancy

Iron deficiency during pregnancy increases the chance of complications, such as premature birth. After the birth, studies have indicated that babies born to women with low iron levels have a higher risk of low birth weight and problems with their own iron levels.

If you are pregnant, you are more likely to develop iron-deficiency anemia. Your unborn baby relies on you for iron and other nutrients. Many women who are pregnant take iron pills to prevent anemia. To make sure that you have enough iron for you and your baby, eat well-balanced meals that include iron-rich foods and foods that provide B12 and B9 vitamins. Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions for taking vitamins and adding iron to your diet.

Finding out that you have anemia is just the beginning. Finding the cause of the anemia will lead you to the best treatment.

A Review On Parkinsons Disease Treatment

Tori K. Lee Eva L. Yankee 

Department of Biology, Angwin, CA 94508, USA .

Received:First Decision:Revised:Accepted:Available online:Academic Editors:Copy Editor:Production Editor:

© The Author 2021. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , which permits unrestricted use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Symptoms Of Parkinsons Disease

Relationship Of Vitamin B12 Status And Parkinson’s Disease

Objective/Rationale:             Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause a number of neurological symptoms, including instability, neuropathy and cognitive defects. Recent studies in Parkinsons disease patients with neuropathy have shown that B12 deficiency is common. Also, we have recently observed that B12 levels decline over the course of PD. These observations have led us to hypothesize that concurrent B12 deficiency may contribute to overall decline in some patients.

Project Description:             The DATATOP study was a large study of patients with early PD conducted more than 20 years ago. As part of this study, standardized measurements of cognitive function and mobility were obtained over the course of the two-year study.  Blood samples were also collected and stored. In our study, we will measure blood levels of vitamin B12 and other markers of B12 deficiency in the DATATOP subjects to determine how common B12 deficiency is in early PD and if there is a relationship between low B12 levels and early cognitive or mobility problems. Since a number of patients underwent blood testing nine or more months after study entry, we also will measure B12 levels at study completion to determine whether B12 levels decline.

Illustrative Case Of Acute Psychosis

An 80-year-old woman with Parkinsons disease was brought by her caregiver to the hospital emergency room because of marked agitation and paranoid ideation. She had physically attacked a staff member at the nursing home where she had been recently placed. One year earlier she developed visual hallucinations, initially well controlled with quetiapine . In the last 6 months she had developed frequent delusions with loss of insight. On admission to the Neurology ward she was taking 300mg per day of levodopa and quetiapine . Her cognitive state was normal. Other medical conditions known to cause acute psychosis were ruled out. Several treatment changes were tried. First, levodopa dose was halved without any significant motor worsening or improvement in hallucinations or delusions. In consequence, quetiapine was switched to clozapine , prompting improvement in psychiatric symptoms. In the end, levodopa was raised back to 300mg a day and clozapine was maintained. A few months later she had developed cognitive decline and rivastigmine was added.

• Learning points: Psychosis exacerbation after nursing home placement; loss of insight and delusions as severity markers; before adding antipsychotic therapy for psychosis consider dopaminergic drug reduction, especially in advanced disease stages; after acute episode resolution check cognitive status.

Biological And Clinical Implications Of Comorbidities In Parkinsons Disease

Judith A. Potashkin

• Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States

A wide spectrum of comorbidities has been associated with Parkinsons disease , a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects more than seven million people worldwide. Emerging evidence indicates that chronic diseases including diabetes, depression, anemia and cancer may be implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of PD. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that some of these comorbidities may increase the risk of PD and precede the onset of motor symptoms. Further, drugs to treat diabetes and cancer have elicited neuroprotective effects in PD models. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of these comorbidities remain elusive. Herein, we discuss the biological and clinical implications of comorbidities in the pathogenesis, progression, and clinical management, with an emphasis on personalized medicine applications for PD.

Parkinsons Disease: Beyond Motor Symptoms

Parkinsons disease is an incurable neurodegenerative disease affecting 710 million people worldwide. PD is clinically categorized as a movement disorder with prominent motor symptoms, which include tremors, rigidity and bradykinesia . Motor symptoms usually appear late in the disease process as a result of dopaminergic cell death and accumulation of alpha synuclein , a major constituent of Lewy bodies and a pathological hallmark of PD . Current therapies for PD confer symptomatic relief but to date, there is no treatment available to halt or slow the progression of the disease. The lack of fully validated biomarkers to detect patients in the early stages of the disease continues to be a major limitation in the design and outcome of clinical trials testing potential drugs and/or neuroprotective agents.

Figure 1. Non-motor conditions and comorbidities associated with Parkinsons disease . Non-motor conditions and comorbidities have a detrimental impact in the quality of life and clinical status of PD patients. Some of these conditions may precede the onset of PD. Drugs to treat type 2 diabetes, depression, anemia and cancer are currently being tested in clinical trials for PD .

Medication Not Working The Way It Used To

In the early stages, taking medicine works well to get rid of symptoms. But as Parkinsons progresses, your medication works for shorter periods of time, and symptoms return more easily. Your doctor will need to change your prescription.

Dr. Valerie Rundle-Gonzalez, a Texas-based neurologist, says to pay attention to how long your medicine takes to kick in and when it stops working. She says you should feel like symptoms significantly improve or are almost gone while on medication.

Can Anemia Affect My Weight

Having enough iron may also be a factor in weight issues. Studies have found overweight people might lose weight if they address low iron in the blood. You might experience unintentional weight loss along with anemia if you have other conditions, such as cancer. People who have had weight loss surgery might become anemic due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Which Foods Should I Eat And Which Foods Should I Avoid If I Have Anemia

With anemia, making good food choices is important. Eating junk food means you are getting calories without nutrients. You also have to consider other medical conditions that you have when you make your food choices.

Some things have been shown to impair iron absorption. You should not take calcium and iron supplements at the same time. In addition, you may want to avoid or limit these items:

• Tannin-containing items like coffee, tea and some spices.
• Milk.
• Egg whites.
• Fiber.
• Soy protein.

In general, you should eat iron-rich foods and foods that provide vitamins B12, B9 and C. This means that you can enjoy plenty of good food that is for you, whether you eat meat or not. You can get iron from plant sources like lentils, spinach and pistachios. You can get iron from protein sources like lean beef and turkey. Whole grains and dark leafy vegetables are good sources of B vitamins. Some foods are even fortified with iron.

Citrus fruits, berries and other vitamin C-containing foods like peppers and tomatoes improve iron consumption. It is a good idea to get advice from your healthcare provider or perhaps from a registered dietitian about the best ways to eat when you have anemia. Also, make sure that grapefruit does not interfere with any of your medications.

What Medications Are Used To Treat Parkinsons Disease

Medications are the main treatment method for patients with Parkinsons disease. Your doctor will work closely with you to develop a treatment plan best suited for you based on the severity of your disease at the time of diagnosis, side effects of the drug class and success or failure of symptom control of the medications you try.

Medications combat Parkinsons disease by:

• Helping nerve cells in the brain make dopamine.
• Mimicking the effects of dopamine in the brain.
• Blocking an enzyme that breaks down dopamine in the brain.
• Reducing some specific symptoms of Parkinsons disease.

Levodopa: Levodopa is a main treatment for the slowness of movement, tremor, and stiffness symptoms of Parkinsons disease. Nerve cells use levodopa to make dopamine, which replenishes the low amount found in the brain of persons with Parkinsons disease. Levodopa is usually taken with carbidopa to allow more levodopa to reach the brain and to prevent or reduce the nausea and vomiting, low blood pressure and other side effects of levodopa. Sinemet® is available in an immediate release formula and a long-acting, controlled release formula. Rytary® is a newer version of levodopa/carbidopa that is a longer-acting capsule. The newest addition is Inbrija®, which is inhaled levodopa. It is used by people already taking regular carbidopa/levodopa for when they have off episodes .

Apomorphine Subcutaneous Injections And Infusion

Apomorphine is an alternative therapy for patients with disabling motor and non-motor fluctuations poorly controlled with conventional treatment. It is a potent dopamine agonist with a short-acting effect that makes it effective in complicated situations such as off dystonia episodes or unpredictable disabling off. Subcutaneous injections are used as a rescue therapy when a rapid on is needed. The effect is quick and lasts 4590min. Patients needing more than three to six injections per day are best treated with a continuous infusion therapy.

Overall, studies report improvement of off time of 50%80%. Its effect on dyskinesias is more controversial. Reductions may occur after a few weeks or months of continuous therapy and mostly if large reduction in levodopa dose can be achieved.

Both apomorphine subcutaneous injections and infusion are safe in terms of procedure but can cause adverse events related to the drug itself. These include nausea, hypotension, excessive somnolence and neuropsychiatric problems, such as confusional state, impulse control disorder and dopamine dysregulation syndrome. Subcutaneous nodules develop in 37% of cases treated with infusions; although these are usually not severe and can be managed with non-pharmacological measures, the treatment may need to be stopped.

Is Parkinsons Disease Inherited

Scientists have discovered gene mutations that are associated with Parkinsons disease.

There is some belief that some cases of early-onset Parkinsons disease disease starting before age 50 may be inherited. Scientists identified a gene mutation in people with Parkinsons disease whose brains contain Lewy bodies, which are clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein. Scientists are trying to understand the function of this protein and its relationship to genetic mutations that are sometimes seen in Parkinsons disease and in people with a type of dementia called Lewy body dementia.

Several other gene mutations have been found to play a role in Parkinsons disease. Mutations in these genes cause abnormal cell functioning, which affects the nerve cells ability to release dopamine and causes nerve cell death. Researchers are still trying to discover what causes these genes to mutate in order to understand how gene mutations influence the development of Parkinsons disease.

Scientists think that about 10% to 15% of persons with Parkinsons disease may have a genetic mutation that predisposes them to development of the disease. There are also environmental factors involved that are not fully understood.