Aging or Parkinson’s? Here are 13 Ways You Can Tell

Loss of smell

This symptom now seems more frightening than ever since it’s also a common sign of COVID-19.

Medically called hyposmia or olfactory dysfunction, the inability to smell can actually affect between 70-90% of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This is also one of the most common ways you can tell you have the illness especially if you’re already dealing with tremors.

However, loss of smell can happen gradually and it can manifest itself in different ways such as:

• Difficulty recognizing odors
• Inability to tell the difference between different odors
• Reduced overall sense of smell

Right now, specialists can use a variety of tests to diagnose hyposmia, but none of them is 100% accurate.

Note that many habits or events can alter your sense of smell, including smoking, age, prolongued chemical exposure. Furthermore, hyposmia can also be a sign of Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, but either way it’s definitely worth mentioning to your doctor.