Having frequent nightmares that result in a damp pillow, despite not sweating anywhere else, might be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease, a Taichung-based neurologist said.
Such symptoms present a useful diagnostic indicator, as early diagnosis of Parkinson’s results in better treatment, said Yeh Shou-cheng (葉守正), director of neurology at Cheng Ching Hospital’s Chung Kang Branch.
To illustrate what to look out for, Yeh gave the example of a 59-year-old woman who visited his clinic for treatment.
Photo courtesy of the Chung Kang Branch of Cheng Ching Hospital
When the woman came in, her face was expressionless and her blinking was unnatural, so he asked her to touch her index fingers to her thumbs in a test of basic motor function, Yeh said.
A person can ordinarily perform the movement 15 times or more in five seconds, but she was only able to do 10, he said.
When he asked her to raise both arms, he found that her right arm was trembling slightly.
He then administered a dopamine transporter scan (DaTscan), which is used to help diagnose Parkinson’s disease before more severe symptoms arise.
After evaluating her symptoms and abnormal DaTscan results, Yeh diagnosed the woman with early-stage Parkinson’s disease.
The woman said that over the past six months, she had been having recurring nightmares and waking up in a sweat, but only from her head, along with a dry mouth.
After ruling out autoimmune issues such as Sjogren’s syndrome for the dryness, Yeh determined that it was caused by neurodegeneration.
As her body was unable to produce sweat, the sweating became concentrated on her head, he said.
Sweating abnormalities are a symptom of early Parkinson’s due to the degeneration of autonomic nerves, he said, adding that detailed differential diagnosis is required to avoid any mistakes, as Parkinson’s patients should not take certain drugs that affect the immune system.
Frequent nightmares could also be a sign of Parkinson’s, as the disease is associated with low concentrations of dopamine, which helps regulate sleep, he added.
If the woman had not come in for treatment, she would have experienced hand tremors and difficulty moving after about two years, Yeh said.
To treat Parkinson’s disease, aside from certain medications, Yeh recommended exercising often.
He also recommended eating more antioxidants, such as broccoli, spinach and other dark greens, in addition to foods high in beta-carotene, such as seaweed, cherry tomatoes and carrots.
Research has shown that nearly 90 percent of people who shout or move around when experiencing nightmares develop Parkinson’s after 10 to 12 years, he said, adding that early discovery is the biggest challenge for doctors.
Yeh said that on average, he diagnoses more than 50 cases of early-stage Parkinson’s per year.
Men and women are about equally likely to develop the disease, which is almost always diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 60, he said.
The most common indicators are dryness in the mouth and eyes, insomnia, anxiety, constipation, olfactory disorders and sweating from the head, Yeh said, urging anyone with these symptoms to see a doctor as soon as possible.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to