If you’re curious about whether there’s a link between Parkinson’s and coughing, you might be wondering things like whether Parkinson’s makes you cough more (if you’ve already been diagnosed), or whether a cough can be considered a symptom of Parkinson’s in people searching for a diagnosis. Here, we take a look at the facts behind coughing and Parkinson’s, and answer these two questions.
Is coughing a symptom of Parkinson’s?
The short answer to this is no. Having a cough is not linked to early signs of Parkinson’s, so if someone does have a cough it would not be used as a diagnostic factor.
There are around 40 medically acknowledge symptoms of Parkinson’s, including tremor (shaking), slowness of movement (bradykinesia), muscle rigidity or stiffness, and walking and balance problems. These are known as “motor” (or movement) symptoms, and there are also a range of non-motor symptoms such as anxiety, sleep issues, and bowel and bladder problems.
While coughing is not a symptom of Parkinson’s, it can sometimes occur as a result of other Parkinson’s symptoms, such as eating, swallowing and saliva issues, which can for example cause you to cough or clear your throat a lot. Treatment for this can include Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy.
Does Parkinson’s make you cough more?
This 2021 article in Brain Sciences journal confirms that coughing is one of a few respiratory issues observed in people with Parkinson’s.
This can be for a variety of reasons, including as a result of certain Parkinson’s medications, and also later on in the condition when people with Parkinson’s may move around less, so rarely encounter respiratory distress, which can make them more susceptible to coughs.
The paper cites an earlier study from 2007 which found that 17.9% of people with Parkinson’s reported a cough as one of their symptoms.
The paper also references a 2009 study, which showed that coughing in Parkinson’s can be eased with a treatment called Expiratory muscle strength training (EMST), which uses a device to exercise and increase the maximal pressure of the expiratory muscles.
In conclusion
While coughing is sometimes observed as a symptom in Parkinson’s, it isn’t a symptom of Parkinson’s. A cough would be a resulting effect from other symptoms linked to the changes in the body that are happening due to Parkinson’s as it progresses – coughing is not considered a ‘symptomatic feature’ in itself.
Find out more about the symptoms of Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s treatment options.
