What is Parkinson’s? What are the signs and symptoms? And how did Annmarie O’Connor adapt to life after diagnosis?
Annmarie O’Connor, author, fashion editor and Parkinson’s advocate, joins me to discuss her memoir Twitch: My life with Parkinson’s on this week’s episode of the Real Health podcast.
Early-onset Parkinson’s disease is Parkinson’s that develops before age 50, with symptoms similar to late-onset Parkinson’s, such as tremors, rigidity, and slowness of movement. Non-motor symptoms like depression, sleep disturbances, and a reduced sense of smell are also common, sometimes appearing years before motor symptoms.
I asked the author about the symptoms of early-onset Parkinsons. She told me, “I have tremors and restless legs. I have a particular type of Parkinson’s called early onset. Which is quite rare. There are three types: there’s late onset which is anyone who is diagnosed over the age of 50. There’s early onset, which is anyone under the age of 50 and then there’s juvenile which starts before the age of 21 in those affected.”
You can listen to the full episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.