What Are Some Symptoms of Vascular Parkinsonism?
Symptoms of vascular Parkinsonism are the same as regular Parkinsonism symptoms, which include stiffness, slow movements, tremors and difficulty with walking and balance, according to the Baylor College of Medicine. The difference is that vascular Parkinsonism is caused by one or more small strokes instead of a gradual decrease in nerve cells.
The symptoms for this type of Parkinsonism affect the lower body more than the upper body. Limb weakness, numbness or abnormal speech may also occur from previous strokes. A stroke is caused by a blockage of blood to a certain area of the brain. These blood vessel blockages form because of a build of fatty cells in the artery walls, explains Baylor College of Medicine.
Another cause for this is a sudden blockage formed by a blood clot that broke away from the lining of a blood vessel and became lodged in another artery. Since strokes tend to happen suddenly, the symptoms of vascular Parkinsonism may also occur just as suddenly, explains Baylor College of Medicine. Strokes that affect the basal ganglia area of the brain are more likely to cause this condition than strokes that affect other areas. However, sometimes these strokes are mild enough to escape notice and may therefore cause a gradual development of symptoms.
