10 Tell-Tale Symptoms of Multiple System Atrophy

3. Bradykinesia

Bradykinesia is the medical term for slowed movements and overall slowness of movement. This is one of the main symptoms involved in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. It's also another reason multiple system atrophy is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease. Depending on the presentation of symptoms, doctors may decide not to rule out multiple system atrophy, but they may also not definitively diagnose it. The slowness may happen in different ways. Automatic movements like blinking might be reduced. It might also be difficult to initiate movements, so getting up from chairs may be difficult. Physical actions might be slow. In addition, facial expressions may decrease, and the face may seem abnormally still. Right now, there's not enough research to differentiate bradykinesia in multiple system atrophy from bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease. The symptom makes it difficult to perform basic everyday tasks like cutting food, brushing teeth, or buttoning a shirt. It's also frustrating because the slowness seems to come and go unpredictably.

4. Dysphagia

Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing. Patients with this symptom need to expend more effort and use more time to move liquid and food to the stomach. Some patients also experience pain when swallowing. For some individuals, swallowing is completely impossible. A common sign of dysphagia is the feeling food is getting stuck in the chest, throat, or sternum. Patients might regurgitate their food or have frequent heartburn. They may also gag or cough when they swallow. The irritation to the throat may cause patients to sound hoarse. If individuals are having trouble swallowing their saliva, they may drool. Some individuals avoid certain foods or cut their portions into very small pieces because of the trouble swallowing.