That would be pertinent if the question was whether she had just developed PD, certainly. But assuming she was already diagnosed, she would be having treatment with l-dopa. This treatment is not a cure but a way to manage the disease by alleviating symptoms. Not all symptoms appear in all patients. That's why she doesn't have a visible tremor, for example.Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla
With l-dopa, there will be 'on' times when she is fine and 'off' times when she is not fine, because the drug works by increasing dopamine in the brain and the proper dose is difficult to maintain given the natural fluctuations in dopamine in the brain and the disease's progression. As a consequence the PD patient will tend to experience an 'on' state and and 'off' state while on l-dopa. When she is in 'on' state she can appear relatively normal. When she is in an 'off' state she can have symptoms. The 'on' states and 'off' states are unpredictable and can alternate within a single day.
If she experienced an 'off' state at the memorial, she could have had trouble standing up and could have also had an episode of 'freezing'. The latter can lead to falls. These would be distinct from the falls of a person who is 'passing out', as she would retain consciousness but lose control of her body.
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