Parkinson's disease warning - subtle change to handwriting that could be symptom

09 March 2024 , 12:00

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A subtle change in your handwriting could be a sign of Parkinson's (Image: Getty Images)

Around 153,000 people in the UK live with Parkinson's - a progressive neurological condition that gets worse over time.

Patients with the condition see parts of their brains become progressively damaged over the years. The main symptoms of Parkinson's are involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body, slow movement, stiff and inflexible muscles.

But there can also be other physical and psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety, balance problems, loss of sense of smell, problems sleeping and memory problems. However, a lesser-known early symptom of Parkinson's can be a change in your handwriting.

While it is normal for your handwriting to change over the years, especially if you have poor vision, or stiff hands or fingers, micrographia - small, cramped handwriting - is characteristic of this condition and is often one of the early symptoms. In addition to words being generally small and crowded together, the size of your handwriting might get progressively smaller as you continue to write, according to the Parkinson's Foundation.

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The website explains: "Micrographia is caused by the same processes in the brain that lead to other movement symptoms of the disease. In addition, those symptoms - slowness of movement, tremor and rigidity - can all make it harder to write."

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Medications to control movement symptoms could improve micrographia but there are also some strategies to make writing more comfortable - including writing one page every day, using lined paper, sitting upright in a comfortable position and taking breaks as needed. The Parkinson's Foundation adds: "If writing becomes too difficult for you or too hard to read, try typing.

"If motor control also makes that too hard, try dictation software. There are programs for your phone and computer that can help." Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra which leads to a reduction in a chemical called dopamine in the brain, explains the NHS.

Dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the movement of the body. A reduction in dopamine is responsible for many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Exactly what causes the loss of nerve cells is unclear but most experts think that a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible.

Most people with Parkinson's start to develop symptoms when they are over 50, although some people with the condition first experience symptoms when they are under 40. Men are slightly more likely to get Parkinson's disease than women.

Although there's currently no cure for Parkinson's disease, treatments are available to help reduce the main symptoms and maintain quality of life for as long as possible. They include physiotherapy and occupational therapy, medication and, in some cases, brain surgery.

Earlier this year, we reported that researchers identified a previously unknown genetic mutation that provides significant protection against Parkinson's and could produce new medical treatments for the debilitating condition. The previously unidentified mutation in small protein is rare and generally found in people of European descent but can halve the chances of developing the disease.

The variant, located in a mitochondrial microprotein dubbed SHLP2, was found in a previous study to be associated with protection from ageing-related diseases, including cancer. The study from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, and published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry last year, showed levels of SHLP2 rise with the onset of Parkinson's. Professor Pinchas Cohen, senior author of the study, says he is excited by the findings.

He said: "This discovery opens exciting new directions for developing precision medicine-based therapies for Alzheimer's disease. It advances our understanding of why people might get Parkinson's and how we might develop new therapies for this devastating disease. It underscores the relevance of exploring mitochondrial-derived microproteins as a new approach to the prevention and treatment of diseases of ageing."

Chiara Fiorillo