A new study titled "Association of Early Weight Change With Cognitive Decline in Patients With Parkinson's Disease" published in the journal Neurology reports that people who experienced changes in their weight shortly after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are more likely to experience changes in their cognitive skills than those who maintain their weight.
Weight loss could be a sign that a decline in cognition is likely to follow after the diagnosis, says study author Dr. Jun-Sun Jun of Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, South Korea.
Early Weight Loss a Symptom of Parkinson's Disease That Signals Cognitive Decline
Weight Loss and Parkinson's Disease
The team studied 358 people who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease two years earlier but are not yet taking medications, according to MedicineNet. They were compared to 174 healthy individuals without the disease.
Participants were asked to take a test of thinking skills and repeated them annually for eight years. They were also evaluated for anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders that may be comorbid with Parkinson's disease.
Out of 358 participants, about 98 of them lost weight, 59 gained, and 201 maintained their weight. Weight loss or gain is defined in the study as more than 3% of the participant's body weight in the first year.
Those with Parkinson's disease who lost weight experienced cognitive decline faster than those with the disease who maintained their weight. On the other hand, those who gained weight had a slower decline in mental processing speed.
Furthermore, researchers did not find any correlation between changes in weight and non-motor symptoms and it does not seem to affect as well the scores on tests of thinking skills of people without the disease.
Jun said that their findings highlight the potential importance of weight management in the early stages of Parkinson's disease. Although their study proves to be helpful, more studies are needed to confirm whether taking steps in preventing weight loss will also slow down the cognitive decline in those with Parkinson's disease.
The study does not establish a cause and effect between weight loss and cognition in Parkinson's disease patients. Rather, it only saw an association that needs to be further investigated.
READ ALSO: Brain Implant Reverses Symptoms of Patient With Incurable Parkinson's Disease, Medical Trial Reveals
Diagnosing Parkinson's Disease
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, doctors must carefully weigh symptoms, family history, and other factors to make an accurate diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. They look at certain physical signs and symptoms as noticed by the patient or his loved ones.
Some of these symptoms may include shaking or tremor called resting tremor of a hand or foot that happens when the patient is at rest and typically stops when they move. Another symptom is bradykinesia or the slowness of movement in the limbs, face, walking, or the whole body.
More so, rigidity or stiffness in the arms, legs, or trunk, as well as posture inability or trouble with balance are also signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Experts are now becoming more aware of symptoms even before their physical manifestation. These clues to the disease are called prodromal symptoms, like loss of sense of smell, sleep disturbance, ongoing constipation, anxiety, and depression.
RELATED ARTICLE: Parkinson's Disease Detected by Woman Through Sense of Smell; Can Odor Also Identify Cancer, Diabetes?
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