Dealing With Parkinson's Disease: A Guide For Patients And Families

Stages Of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is divided into five stages using a system referred to as the Hoehn and Yahr scale. Several years before diagnosis, individuals with Parkinson's disease may experience depression, fatigue, constipation, sleep problems, anxiety, color vision disturbances, hyposmia, and slowed thinking. Stage I occurs when a patient experiences motor-related symptoms on a single side of their body. Stage II is characterized by the manifestation of motor symptoms on both sides of the patient's body. Stage III is defined by when an affected individual begins to experience balance impairments. Stage IV describes when a patient has gait difficulty, freezing steps, small and fast steps, problems with their ability to swallow, further balance impairment, and more non-motor related symptoms like problems with speech. Stage V is the last stage of Parkinson's disease and is characterized by the inability to move around without assistance and becoming entirely dependent upon a mobility device or wheelchair. Later stages of Parkinson's disease can also produce urinary urgency and frequency, problems with closing the eyelids, and excessive sweating.

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