Clinical Management of Parkinson Disease Flashcards
What are the cardinal motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease?
- Tremor
- Rigidity
- Bradykinesia
- Postural instability
What is a tremor?
Involuntary oscillations resulting from contraction of opposing muscles
How does tremor present in the early stages of Parkinson’s Disease?
- Distal hand or foot
- One side of the body
- Resting tremor
How does tremor present in the later stages of Parkinson’s Disease?
- Increased severity
- Bilateral
- Action Tremor
- Interferes with ADLs
What is rigidity?
- Increased resistance to passive movement
- Not velocity dependent
- Both agonist & antagonist
What is cogwheel rigidity?
Jerky, ratchet like resistance
What is leadpipe rigidity?
Sustained rigidity
What does progression of rigidity over the disease course look like in Parkinson’s Disease?
- Prox –> distal
- Unilateral –> Bilateral
- Increase in severity
What are some secondary complications to rigidity?
- Contracture
- Postural deformity
- Fatigue
- Energy expenditure
What is bradykinesia and some examples?
- Slowness of movement
- Ex: Increased reaction time
- Ex: Increased movement time
What is hypokinesia and some examples?
- Decreased movement (smaller amplitude & less movement)
- Ex: Micrographia
- Ex: Decreased arm swing
What is akinesia and some examples?
- Absence of movement
- Ex: Freezing
- Ex: No arm swing
Describe the typical presentation of balance of a patient with Parkinson’s Disease
- Decrease limits of stability
- Slow anticipatory postural adjustments
- Poor reactive balance (abnormal co- contraction)
Describe the typical posture of a patient with Parkinson’s disease
- Decreased activation of antigravity muscles
- Flexed posture
- COM lowered towards the foward LOS
T/F: Patients with Parkinson’s disease are not at an increased risk of falls
False
- 70% single fall
- 50% recurrent fall
Describe the typical gait presentation in a patient with Parkinson
- Slow pace
- increased variability & asymmetry
- Poor postural control
- Decreased step size
- Reduced arm swing/trunk rotation
- Reduced APA prior to steps
- Turn en bloc w/ more steps
- Festinating
- Freezing of gait
What is festination?
Unintentionally rapid short steps
What is freezing of gait?
- Trembling or absent movement with transient inability to take a step
- Triggered by confrontation w/ competing stimuli
T/F: There is a primary sensory loss associated with PD
False- There is no primary sensory loss associated with PD
When are patients with PD more hypersenstive to pain? (On or off their medication)
More common in off state of medication
What may be some reasons for a patient with PD to experience pain?
- Musculoskeletal
- Dystonic
- Neuropathic/radicular
- Central or primary
- Akathisia (feeling of inner restlessness)
Patients with PD often have impaired perception of kinesthesia and proprioception. What does this cause?
A failure to recognize deficits in movement size
What is sensory loss that often occurs years before diagnosis and is an important early clinical sign?
Olfactory dysfunction
- Either decrease or loss of sense of smell
What is dysphagia a result from?
Rigidity and reduced movements
What may dysphagia impact?
- Tongue control
- Chewing
- Bolus formation
- Swallowing (delay)
- Peristalsis
What are the complications of dysphagia?
- Choking
- Aspiration pneumonia
- Poor nutrition
- Weight loss
- Sialorrhea
What are the symptoms of hypokinetic dysarthria?
- Decrease volume
- Monotone/ mono pitch
- Imprecise articulation
- Uncontrolled rate of speech
- Hoarse
What are two speech disorders that can occur in patients with PD?
- Hypokinetic dysarthria
- Mutism
What are the contributing factors of speech disorders in patients with PD?
- Motor symptoms (rigidity, hypokinesia, bradykinesia, & tremor)
- Impacts muscles controlling respiration, phonation, resonation & articulation
T/F: Speech disorders impacts participation & contribute to social isolation
True
What is bradyphrenia?
- Slowness of thought
- Early symptom
What are some symptoms of mild cognitive impairment that may be present in patients with PD?
- Processing speed
- Set-shifting
- Attention
- Verbal fluency
- Planning
- Abstract reasoning
- Visuospatial
- Verbal & visual memory
- Impacts motor learning & dual task performance
What are symptoms of levodopa toxicity?
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Psychosis
Who is at greatest risk for dementia?
Older individuals
What are some cognitive symptoms that may present in patient with PD?
- Bradyphrenia
- Mild cognitive impairment
- Dementia
- Levodopa toxicity
What are some sleep disorders that patients with PD may have?
- REM sleep behavior disorders
- Excessive daytime somnolence
- Insomnia
What is some characteristics of REM sleep behavior disorder?
- Occurs prior to motor symptoms (in up to 60% of individuals)
- Incomplete or absent paralysis during REM
- Dream - enacting behaviors
What are some characteristics in insomnia?
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Difficulty staying asleep
- Poor sleep quality
What are some neurobiological causes of depression, anxiety and apathy in patients with PD?
- Alterations in levels of dopamine, serotonin, & NE
- Apathy improves initially with dopamine therapy
- Anxiety & depression worse during “off” medication times
What is hypomimia?
Reduced facial expression may be mistaken for depression or apathy
When is autonomic dysfunction seen in patients with PD?
Seen early in disease & progresses with disease course
What are the symptoms of autonomic dysfunction?
- Impaired thermoregulation/ hyperhidrosis
- Slow pupillary response to light
- Decreased gastric motility / constipation
- Urinary incontience
- Blunted HR response to exercise (sympathetic denervation of heart)
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Pulmonary dysfunction (air trapping, decreased chest expansion)
How is PD diagnosed?
- Based on history & clinical examination
- No diagnostic test (MRI rule ot other causes or chemical markers can confirm dopamine deficits)
What is the difference between parkinsonism and PD?
- Parkinsonism: Bradykinesia + tremor or rigidity)
- PD: no symmetrical bilateral signs & clear + dramatic benefit from dopamine therapy
What is the mechanism of Levodopa/Carbidopa?
- Dopamine replacement
- Carbidopa prevents levodopa from conversion to dopamine before it crosses the BBB
What is the mechanism of dopamine agonist?
Stimulates dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia
What is the mechanism of COMT inhibitors?
Blocks breakdown of dopamine to prolong effects & reduce “wearing off”
What is the mechanism of MAO-B Inhibitors?
Blocks breakdown of dopamine to prolong effects & reduce “wearing off”
What is the mechanism of Anticholingerics?
- Reduces excessive acetylcholine influence
- May reduce tremor & dystonia
What is the mechanism of Amantadine?
- Antiviral
- Blocks effects of glutamate
- May reduce dyskinesia
What is the mechanism of Norepinephrine precursors?
- Increase NE levels
- May reduce orthostatic hypotension
What is the mechanism of Cholinesterase Inhibitors?
- Inhibits acetylcholine breakdown
- May improve function & gait instability
What is the mechanism of Atypical antipsychotics?
- Blocks some effects of serotonin
- Used to treat hallucination & psychosis side effects
What are some common side effects of pharmacological management of PD?
- Wearing - off
- Dyskinesia
- Dystonia
- Low BP
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Dry mouth
- Insomnia
- Constipation
What is deep brain stimulation?
Electrodes implanted in brain with a subclavicular impulse generator & controlled by an external controller
Where can electrodes be placed during deep brain stimulation?
- Subthalamic nucleus
- Globus pallidus internus