Tuesday, March 26, 2024

What Is The Difference Between Parkinson’s Disease And Multiple Sclerosis

Restless Legs Syndrome And Periodic Limb Movement Disorder

Differentiating Multiple System Atrophy From Parkinson’s Disease (PSA)

Most people who have RLS also have a condition called periodic limb movement disorder . PLMD involves repetitive flexing or twitching of the limbs while asleep at night. It is different from RLS in that these movements are not accompanied by uncomfortable sensations and because they occur during sleep, patients are often not aware of them. However, PLMD-associated movements can cause a person to wake up and therefore can compound sleep issues in patients who also have RLS.

Although most people with RLS have PLMD, many with PLMD do not have RLS.

Your Dreams Could Be An Early Clue To Parkinsons Disease

Actor Alan Alda revealed that he has Parkinsons disease and in an interview Tuesday on CBS This Morning, the award-winning actor said an unusual dream helped lead to his diagnosis.

Alda, best known for his portrayal of Army Capt. Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H, was diagnosed three and a half years ago after experiencing a lesser-known early sign of Parkinsons. He said he asked his doctor to test him for the disease after reading an article about how physically acting out your dreams can be one of the earliest precursors of the neurological disorder.

By acting out your dreams, I mean I was having a dream where someone was attacking me and I threw a sack of potatoes at them, and what I was really doing was throwing a pillow at my wife, Alda explained.

Restless Legs Syndrome: A Common Underdiagnosed Disorder

US Pharm.

Restless Leg Syndrome And Multiple Sclerosis Connection

Cases of restless leg syndrome in multiple sclerosis patients greatly vary from 13.3 percent to 65.1 percent. These numbers are still larger than rates of restless leg syndrome in the general population. Multiple sclerosis patients with RLS rate higher on the Expanded Disability Status Scale compared to MS patients without RLS. RLS can negatively impact a persons sleep and cause further complications such as worsened fatigue and greater inflammation, which can contribute to pain. Further research will be conducted to better understand the connection between RLS and MS and provide more effective treatment.

Other Conditions Associated With Restless Legs Syndrome

The following medical conditions are also associated with RLS, although the relationships are not clear. In some cases, these conditions may contribute to RLS. Others may have a common cause, or they may coexist due to other risk factors:

The Link Between Rls And Parkinsons: Dopamine Agonists

Lastly, RLS does not progress to cause other major symptoms such as tremor, gait disorder, or loss of taste or smell, and does not progress to PD. In fact, one of the leading possibilities as the cause of RLS and for which there is good scientific evidence and much research is a form of iron-transport abnormality in the brain. In effect, RLS patients may have low levels of iron in brain nerve cellsjust the opposite of some portions of the brain in PD.

Is Restless Leg Syndrome A Precursor To Other Ailments

Differentiating Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms With Parkinsons Disease

Signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs, partial or complete vision loss, prolonged double vision, tingling or pain, electric-shock sensations, tremors and lack of coordination, fatigue, dizziness, slurred speech, and problems with bowel and bladder function.

Parkinsons disease symptoms typically begin with tremors followed by muscle stiffness, difficulty standing or walking, changes in speech, slow movements, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements, and writing changes.

As you can see, Parkinsons disease and multiple sclerosis do have some symptoms in common, which can make early diagnosis difficult.

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Common Symptoms Of Parkinsons Disease

Symptoms generally develop slowly over years, and the progression of symptoms is often different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease. According to The Parkinsons Foundation, there are three telltale symptoms that can help doctors make a diagnosis:

  • Bradykinesia
  • Tremors
  • Rigidity

Bradykinesia, or slowness of movement, coupled with tremor or rigidity must be present for a PD diagnosis to be considered. Prior to experiencing motor symptoms, stiffness and tremor, often people will complain of sleep problems, constipation, decreased ability to smell and restless legs.

Postural instability often accompanies motor symptoms and can lead to imbalance and falls common among Parkinsons patients. Additional movement symptoms can include:

Why Accurate Ms Diagnoses Are Challenging

difference between als,mg, ms

There is no single test for MS, so an accurate MS diagnosis can be challenging. Results of a recently study published in the Journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders suggested that nearly 1 in 5 people with other neurologic conditions are mistakenly diagnosed with MS.1 The confusion also means that many people also live with symptoms for months or years before an official MS diagnosis can be confirmed.

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Myasthenia Gravis And Multiple Sclerosis: Symptoms And Similarities

As a condition of the nervous system, there are obviously going to be similarities in the presentation of Myasthenia gravis and multiple sclerosis. Some of these include:

  • Both diseases are chronicautoimmune diseases that lead to improper or lack of communication between the brain and muscles, which makes mobility more difficult.
  • Both conditions cause weakness in the limbs, as well as potential issues with vision .
  • Though the reason behind the deficiency is different, either disease can lead to problems speaking, chewing, and swallowing .
  • Both diseases are most common in adult women under the age of forty.
  • Having another autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or type 1 diabetes, puts a person at greater risk for developing either disease.
  • Both diseases may come and go, with relief from symptoms over a period of time before they return.
  • A relapse or episode in either disease can be triggered by factors such as stress, fatigue, illness or injury, and certain medications .
  • Neither disease has a cure, but both can be treated to reduce relapses and symptoms. Some common treatments for both include immunosuppressants, corticosteroids, and DMTs like treatment with monoclonal antibodies.

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Multiple Sclerosis And Parkinson’s Tissue Bank

Providing high quality human tissue for vital research

The Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinsons Tissue Bank is a national collection of central nervous system tissue samples donated by individuals with multiple sclerosis , Parkinsons disease and related neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions.

The vision of the Tissue Bank is one that it shares with its funding charities, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Parkinsons UK – that we can live in a world where the cause of these debilitating neurological conditions has been discovered, and an intervention identified that stops them from developing in susceptible individuals or stops further progression of the condition.

The Tissue Banks mission is to facilitate these discoveries by making well-characterised human material of the highest quality readily available to the research community engaged in studies aimed at discovering the cause and better treatments for multiple sclerosis and Parkinsons disease. Furthermore, we aim to encourage the greater use of the material in these studies. It is by carrying out this work that the Tissue Bank fulfils the last, generous and selfless wishes of all those who have registered on the donor scheme and bequeathed their CNS tissues to research.

What Is Lyme Disease

Neurological Disorders: Parkinson’s, MS, MG, ALS

Lyme disease is a bacterial tick-borne illness transmitted from the bite of an infected black-legged or deer tick. Ticks dont naturally have the infection. They acquire it by feeding on an infected host animal. It is delivered to humans when ticks attach to the skin and through their bite, transfer a spirochete bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi.1,2 Tick populations are concentrated in certain geographic areas. There is a higher concentration on the East and West coasts, and parts of the Midwestern US, although ticks can be found across the U.S.

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Common Misdiagnosis: Multiple Sclerosis

One of the most common answers to the question was multiple sclerosis . Both diagnoses have an effect on the central nervous system. These diagnoses also frequently cause muscle spasms, balance changes, tremor, and impaired memory. However, these are two separate diagnoses.

One difference is that MS is often diagnosed when someone is in their 20s, while most people receive a PD diagnosis in their 60s. Also, MS is an autoimmune disease that over time causes nerve damage. Parkinsons affects the brain. The brain starts producing less and less dopamine, which is responsible for controlling movement.

Yes, with MS which I was worried about for years, but right now I do not know which one is worse. However, my meds are helping a lot. My new saying is It is what it is, aka just live on. My neurologist says that I have stage one mild Parkinson’s disease.

My husband was diagnosed with MS back in 1993 when he had a mini stroke. He was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2014.

Gait In People With Pd

Slow gait speed and small foot strike angle were significantly different daily life gait measures in the PD group compared to the PD-Ctl group. Previous studies of gait in daily life agree that foot strike angle , and gait speed discriminated gait in PD from healthy control groups. Surprisingly, none of the laboratory gait measures discriminated gait characteristics in mild-moderate PD , from the PD-Ctl group, after Bonferronis correction, suggesting that monitoring gait during daily life is more sensitive to impairments from PD than gait test in the laboratory. The participants with PD showed much larger changes in their gait parameters between the laboratory and daily life than the controls or people with MS. This difference in performance in a laboratory test and daily life in people with PD may be due to their reliance on less automatic, more attention demanding gait mechanisms that would make gait in daily life more challenging . The difference could also be due to people with PD being more prone to placebo effects and white coat effects than the other groups, so they perform better when their performance is observed. Alternatively, it might be that we picked up the ON and OFF fluctuations during daily life that influenced the averaged gait measures over a week. Nevertheless, assessing mobility during daily life resulted in more sensitive and specific differences in gait characteristics than laboratory gait between the PD and control groups.

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Myasthenia Gravis And Multiple Sclerosis: Differences And Similarities

Multiple sclerosis presents patients with a number of symptoms that can disrupt everyday life. During an episode for those with relapsing-remitting MS, or those with one of the progressive MS forms with constant symptoms, obtaining a diagnosis that allows the patient to work with doctors and therapists to create a treatment and management regimen is crucial to living a full and healthy life.

Of course, MS is not the only chronic disease that causes such issues or requires direct attention. Another condition, called Myasthenia gravis, can also cause significant impairment when trying to complete daily activities. In fact, Myasthenia gravis actually seems quite similar to some aspects of multiple sclerosis and distinguishing one from the other is essential to prescribing the right treatment plan.

Summary Ms Vs Parkinsons

(PDF) Quality of Life in Patients Suffering from Parkinson ...

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune, T-cell mediated inflammatory disease affecting the Central Nervous System. Parkinsons disease is a movement disorder characterized by a decline in the dopamine level of the brain. Multiple sclerosis, as stated in its definition, is an autoimmune disease but Parkinsons disease is not an autoimmune disease. This is the major difference between MS and Parkinsons.

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How Do You Diagnose These Diseases

Both diseases can be difficult to diagnose, and they require a neurology workup and medical history. You might have some brain imaging or blood tests to rule out other causes for your symptoms.

For MSA, doctors will test your autonomic functions, like how well you produce sweat and how well your body maintains a stable blood pressure when you stand up after sitting or lying down.5 Parkinsons doesnt have a specific test for diagnosis. Sometimes doctors will prescribe anti-Parkinsons medication and diagnose Parkinsons if it helps improve your symptoms.1

How Effective Is Early Treatment Of Ms And Parkinsons

Though not a cure, nipping neurologic disorders in the bud may help slow their progression. But proper diagnosis is necessaryand thats not easy.

Arlie Barber knew something was wrong when, in the spring of 2008, she found herself running to the bathroom all the time. Her gynecologist diagnosed her with overactive bladder. But Barber, then 35, was an avid runner who had never had children. The diagnosis didn’t seem to fit.

ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN STAUFFER

A few months later, she woke up with half her face numb. Her doctor blamed it on the Botox injection Barber had received a few days earlier, but the numbness spread over the next few weeks to her hands and feet. Along with balance problems and a sense of just not “feeling right,” Barber knew something was amiss. But it wasn’t until she described her symptoms to a second doctor in October 2008 that she started to get answers that made sense. “When a woman your age describes symptoms like these,” the doctor told her, “the medical community thinks .”

Given Barber’s symptoms and lesions, the doctor strongly suspected Barber would eventually be diagnosed with MS, so he offered to start her on treatment. But many of the drugs used to treat the condition require injections and can have significant side effects. “He told me that it was really serious stuff and to be really sure that’s what I wanted to do,” she says.

Early Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis

Early Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

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What Are Treatments For Symptoms Of Ms Vs Als

Treatments for ALS cannot reverse the nerve damage, but they can only slow progression of disease. The US FDA has approved two drugs for the treatment of ALS-riluzole and edaravone .

MS treatment is not a cure for multiple sclerosis. Treatments may help speed recovery from an MS exacerbation of symptoms and may slow the progression of the disease. Although a few patients may have mild symptoms, and not require treatment. Treatments for MS attacks can include corticosteroids and plasma exchange . For progressive recurrent MS, ocrelizumab is the only FDA-approved therapy. There are a number of other drugs for relapsing-remitting MS that may be prescribed by a neurologist to help reduce symptoms.

Treatment protocols for ALS and MS are best determined by your individual situation. Treatments are best determined in consultation with your primary care physician and a consultant such as a neurologist.

Do You Or Did You Suffer From A Sleep Disorder How Has Having Parksinons Impacted Your Ability To Get Quality Rest Ask Questions And Share Your Knowledge Of Pd In Our Forums

What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

More serious sleeping disorders may also occur such as sleep apnea or REM sleep behavioral disorder. Around 40 percent of people living with Parkinsons disease will experience sleep apnea when breathing becomes obstructed while asleep. The common symptoms of this are loud snoring, pauses in breathing, restless sleep, and feeling very tired during the day. Sleep apnea can be controlled using breathing equipment continuous positive airway pressure throughout the night.

REM sleep behavioral disorder is where the muscles dont fully relax while dreaming, therefore the person is likely to act out their dreams. This can include hitting, kicking, grinding teeth, and shouting. Around half of those living with Parkinsons experience this but in most cases it can be improved with medication.

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Parkinsons News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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Diagnostic Blood Tests Can Cause Confusion

Diagnostic blood tests, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control , are analyzed for B. burgdorferi-specific antibodies, commonly thought of as the most important tool for the diagnosis of Lyme exposure. The test can, therefore, come back with negative results if the tick bite was less than a month before because it can take weeks for the body to develop an immune response which would produce positive test results. A clearer path to Lyme diagnosis occurs when there is a classic bulls-eye rash, but the rash doesnt develop or is not visible in all cases.2,3 The most common route when neither MS nor Lyme can be definitively diagnosed is to closely monitor the patient over time to see if there is progression or difference in test results.

Ethics Approval And Consent To Participate

The study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the Oregon Health & Science University institutional review board with written informed consent from all subjects. All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocols were approved by the OHSU IRB .

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How Therapy Helps Ms And Parkinsons

While there are differences in Parkinsons and MS, physical, occupational and speech therapy can help both MS and PD patients improve their independence and safety, as well as achieve and maintain optimal function and cognition. Therapy can help prevent complications such as de-conditioning, muscle weakness from lack of mobility and muscle contractures related to spasticity. Training in energy conservation techniques and the use of adaptive tools and devices can help simplify everyday tasks. Therapists can even recommend strategic modifications to your home to ensure accessibility and safety even as the disease progresses.

Clinicians certified in LSVT ® and PWR! therapeutic programs can provide Parkinsons-specific exercises to target weight shifting, posture, trunk rotation and stepping strategies to overcome rigidity and slowness of movement. Education on specific exercises and strategies helps increase safety and slow the progression of the disease.

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