Early warning signs of Parkinson's disease no one should ignore - as 80s pop legend shocks fans with diagnosis

Daily Mail​

a day ago

A-ha frontman Morten Harket has announced that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, as he comes to terms with the uncertainty of his artistic future.
The lead-singer of the Norwegian pop group, 65, said he had been experiencing vocal issues due to the neurological condition.
'The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future.
'I don't feel like singing, and for me that's a sign,' he said in an interview with biographer Jan Omdahl posted to the band's website.
Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, affecting around 153,000 people in the UK alone.
There is no current cure for the disease.
Here, MailOnline reveals some of the warning signs of the crippling disease, which Harket is determined to work through, ahead of the release of new music.
Parkinson's is caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine, which controls movement.
The condition is on the rise in the UK and the US, which is thought to be caused by a rapidly aging population, environmental toxins and lifestyle choices such as smoking.
In the UK, there are about 18,000 new diagnoses every year in people 45 and older.
However, knowing the symptoms of Parkinson's can lead to earlier diagnosis and better access to treatments that significantly improve a sufferer's quality of life.
Harket said: 'I'm trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline. It's a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects.
'There's so much to weigh up when you're emulating the masterful way the body handles every complex movement, or social matters and invitations, or day-to-day life in general,' the singer added.
'I really like the idea of just going for it, as a Parkinson's patient and an artist, with something completely outside the box. It's all up to me, I just have to get this out of the way first.'
He told his fans not to worry about him and instead to 'spend [their] energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that [he is] being taken care of'.
Tremors
A tremor or shaking is one of the most well-known signs of Parkinson's, alongside slowness of movement and stiffness, and can be one of the first symptoms to appear.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive movement disorder in which the brain can't produce enough dopamine—a neurotransmitter that controls movement.
A lack of dopamine leads to issues like tremors, falls and mobility issues.
According to Parkinson's UK, a tremor caused by Parkinson's can appear in two ways, known as a resting tremor and an action tremor.
The most common tremor happens when the body is still and relaxed and will trigger a rolling movement between the thumb and index finger—known as a 'pill rolling rest tremor'.
An action tremor however is most noticeable when a sufferer is holding something, and their hand begins to shake.
Although there is no cure for tremors, there are ways of managing the symptom, including physiotherapy—such as squeezing a ball—medication, stress relief and deep brain simulation.
In 2024, Harket underwent surgery to try and control some of the symptoms of Parkinson's, including tremor.
The procedure involves implanting electrodes into the brain, which connect to a small device—similar to a pacemaker—placed into the chest that stimulates the brain by sending electrical impulses through the electrodes.
Slow movements
Slowness of movement and speed—medically known as bradykinesia—is another common symptom of Parkinson's and involves walking with short, shuffling steps.
This can affect every aspect of a patient's life, from daily activities such as paying for items, walking to the bus and getting dressed.
It can also lead to smaller movements—such as not smiling as widely as normal, difficulties swallowing and a lack of coordination.
Bradykinesia is also caused by reduced dopamine levels in the brain, which impacts the way the muscles work.
According to Parkinson's Foundation, a person must have bradykinesia plus either a tremor or rigidity for a Parkinson's diagnosis to be considered.
Muscle stiffness
Rigidity is another symptom of Parkinson's that can prevent the muscles from stretching and relaxing properly, which can cause pain and muscle cramps as well as problems with balance.
Tell-tale signs of this symptom include difficulty swinging the arms—due to the muscles being too tight—getting out of chairs and turning over in bed.
Problems with breathing and speaking clearly can also be a sign of the incurable disease, as rigidity spreads to the chest muscles and makes them weak.
This can lead to breathing issues and other respiratory problems like chest infections.
Rigidity can also stop your facial muscles working properly, limiting your range of facial expressions.
Medically known as hypomimia, this can make it look like a patient has a blank expression, even when they are experiencing strong emotions.
However, according to Parkinson's UK, people with Parkinson's may also experience apathy and problems with motivation meaning they may not react to emotions in the same way they used to.
Loss of smell
Up to 95 per cent of Parkinson's sufferers experience a loss or reduction in their sense of smell—known as anosmia.
And symptoms can start years before any other symptoms develop, says Parkinson's UK.
But loss of smell can affect people in different ways, with some losing or gaining weight as they can no longer smell food, while it may hit others' mood.
For some, it can be subtle and only dampen their smell, while others may struggle to smell at all.
It can also lead to safety concerns, with sufferers struggling to smell burning, for example.
Research suggests that the symptoms is caused by part of the brain responsible for processing smells—known as the olfactory bulb— being smaller in some people who have the disease.
Studies have also found that in Parkinson's patients, there is a build-up of alpha-synuclein — a protein found in dopamine-producing cells—in this part of the brain.
In Parkinson's patients, the proteins become tangled and form clumps, which experts believe may spread the disease throughout the brain.
Bladder and bowel problems
Getting up in the night to go to the toilet can plague many people as they age.
But it is also another early sign of the Parkinson's.
Going to the bathroom more than once or twice a night—medically known as nocturia— could be a sign of an overactive bladder, which has been linked with the disease.
The feeling of needing to urinate immediately, at times without warning, and struggling to 'hold on', may also be a symptom.
Constipation is also a symptom of the disease, as slowness of movement and rigidity —tell-tale signs of the condition—can affect the muscles in the bowel wall, meaning that waste products are not moved along in the bowel.
Eating problems as a result of difficulty with chewing and swallowing food, can also cause constipation, as fibre is needed to help keep the stool soft and easy to pass.
Depression and anxiety
Feelings of extreme sadness for a long period of time could be a sign of depression, which is common in people with Parkinson's, though it is not yet fully understood why.
In some cases, these feelings occur months before other symptoms are revealed.
Research suggests that a lack of dopamine, a 'feel-good' hormone, can be a trigger for depression, worry and anxiety.
Additionally, some patients may find they are not able to socialise as much as they used to, leading to loneliness and isolation, increasing the risk of depression.
But, the charity also notes that being diagnosed with Parkinson's itself can be very stressful, which can cause these feeling to arise.