My Friend Was At A Luncheon Where I Noticed That

Posted on Wed, 14 Aug 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : My friend was at a luncheon where i noticed that i could no longer understand her speech. She has had an essential tremor for a long time. Now her speech is guttural, broken in to sounds or syllables, and not intelligible. She is very frustrated and knows what she wants to say. At her age, 83, is this possible Parkinson’s?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Erion Spaho (33 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
A ministroke is more likely.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor " service.

I have read your query and here is my advice.

If only the speech was impaired, Parkinson' s is very unlikely.

A stroke is more possible and, imaging studies such as MRI of the brain is necessary.

Doppler ultrasound for cervical arteries situation and cardiac work up are also necessary in order to understand correctly the cause.

Discuss with the Neurologist for these issues.

Hope you found the answer helpful.

Feel free to ask if you have further questions.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad