Parkinson's disease Braak staging

Written by Liu Hong Mei

Neurology

Updated on April 02, 2025

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Parkinson's disease Braak staging is generally divided into five stages:

Stage 1 refers to unilateral symptoms only, such as tremors or stiffness in one hand or one foot, with symptoms confined to one side of the body and not crossing the midline.

Stage 2 refers to mild symptoms on both sides, such as tremors in both hands or throughout the body, but without impairment of balance.

Stage 3 refers to more pronounced bilateral symptoms, such as difficulty lifting legs, taking small shuffling steps, leaning forward, or instability when holding a bowl while eating, but capable of living normally.

Stage 4 refers to the loss of most of the ability for autonomous activity.

Stage 5 refers to a complete loss of the ability to live independently.

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Written by Liu Shi Xiang

Neurology

1min 6sec

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Early symptoms of Parkinson's disease

The early symptoms of Parkinson's disease primarily include weakness of limbs on one side, resting tremors, and bradykinesia, among others. As the disease progresses, patients will display typical Parkinson's symptoms, including a shuffling gait, reduced facial expressions, decreased sense of smell, orthostatic hypotension, anxiety and depression, cognitive decline, constipation, frequent urination, etc. Therefore, when these symptoms appear, the possibility of Parkinson's disease should be considered. Patients need to promptly visit the neurology department of a hospital for complete testing such as routine blood tests, urinalysis, MRI of the skull, and if necessary, cerebrospinal fluid analysis through lumbar puncture to confirm the diagnosis. Once diagnosed, treatment with anti-Parkinson's medication should be started as soon as possible. Commonly used medications include Levodopa, dopamine receptor agonists, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, Vitamin B6, and more.

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Written by Zhang Hui

Neurology

1min 1sec

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What department to see for Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a very common degenerative neurological disorder in neurology, so if you go for treatment, you should definitely see a neurologist. Many neurologists have a high level of expertise in Parkinson's disease and have extensive experience in its diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment. Patients with Parkinson's disease generally exhibit significant motor slowness, such as dressing, buttoning, wrapping dumplings, and eating very slowly, and they also walk very slowly. In addition, they may also display obvious resting tremors, muscle rigidity, general fatigue, unstable walking posture, and other clinical manifestations. Moreover, they might experience some constipation, anxiety, depression, and reduced sense of smell among other related clinical symptoms. Therefore, for this disease, visiting a neurologist is sufficient, and you can definitely expect a very satisfactory diagnosis and treatment.

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Written by Liu Hong Mei

Neurology

56sec

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Parkinson's disease Braak staging

Parkinson's disease Braak staging is generally divided into five stages: Stage 1 refers to unilateral symptoms only, such as tremors or stiffness in one hand or one foot, with symptoms confined to one side of the body and not crossing the midline. Stage 2 refers to mild symptoms on both sides, such as tremors in both hands or throughout the body, but without impairment of balance. Stage 3 refers to more pronounced bilateral symptoms, such as difficulty lifting legs, taking small shuffling steps, leaning forward, or instability when holding a bowl while eating, but capable of living normally. Stage 4 refers to the loss of most of the ability for autonomous activity. Stage 5 refers to a complete loss of the ability to live independently.

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Written by Zhang Hui

Neurology

1min

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Can Parkinson's disease be cured?

Firstly, it must be noted that Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease which currently cannot be cured. Although Parkinson's disease cannot be cured, there are many methods available to slow the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life for patients. Patients must take medication regularly under the guidance of a doctor. The treatment methods for Parkinson's disease mainly include: First, patients should strengthen their functional training and engage in as much physical activity and exercise as possible, which can help in treating the disease. Second, regular medication is necessary, mainly referring to drugs used for treating Parkinson's disease. These include dopamine receptor agonists, anticholinergic drugs, and Levodopa preparations, all of which can have good effects, but these medications also have certain side effects and require regular follow-up visits at outpatient clinics. (Specific medications should be taken under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Zhou Yan

Geriatrics

58sec

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What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

The main symptoms of Parkinson's disease are divided into two major categories: motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms. The motor symptoms include bradykinesia and hypokinesia, specifically characterized by slow movement speed and reduced amplitude. In daily life, this results in clumsiness with actions such as difficulty standing up, small arm swings while walking, or even no swinging at all, a lack of facial expressions, and progressively smaller handwriting. The second type is resting tremor, which includes pill-rolling movements along with muscle rigidity and postural and gait imbalances, such as a panicked gait or taking very small steps that accelerate and become faster without the ability to stop or turn promptly. Non-motor symptoms include issues such as olfactory dysfunction, sleep disturbances, constipation, and depression.