Understanding Parkinson's Disease

Clinical presentation

When do patients present with Parkinson's disease?

  • Clinical onset of Parkinson's disease (PD) is typically around the age of 60 although juvenile or young adult onset of the disease can occur1,2
  • It is difficult to diagnose PD in early stages and there is no single reliable diagnostic test. Currently, the disease is diagnosed almost primarily by its symptoms. Researchers are hopeful that objective and simple blood or imaging tests will be available in the near future to identify the disease early in its development3-5
  • The motor symptoms, rest tremor or bradykinesia, are often the first symptoms recognised by a patient1
  • Non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment, depressive PD-related symptoms and autonomic dysfunction can contribute to an accurate diagnosis of
    PD6-9

View references

  1. Fahn S. Description of Parkinson's disease as a clinical syndrome. Ann NY Acad Sci 2003; 991: 1-14.
  2. Koller WC. When does Parkinson's disease begin? Neurology 1992; 42(Suppl 4): 27-31.
  3. Tolosa E, Wenning G, Poewe W. The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Lancet Neurol 2006; 5: 75-86.
  4. Samii A, Nutt JG, Ransom BR. Parkinson's disease. Lancet 2004; 363: 1783-1794.
  5. Seibyl J et al. Jennings D, Tabamo R, Marek K. The role of neuroimaging in the early diagnosis and evaluation of Parkinson's disease. Minerva Med 2005; 96(5): 353-364.
  6. Gelb DJ et al. Diagnostic criteria for Parkinson disease. Arch Neurol 1999; 56(1): 33-39.
  7. Ziemssen T, Reichmann H. Non-motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2007; 13(6): 323-332.
  8. Borek LL, Amick MM, Friedman JH. Non-motor aspects of Parkinson's disease. CNS Spectr 2006; 11(7): 541-554.
  9. Chaudhuri KR, Healy DG, Schapira AHV. Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease: diagnosis and management. Lancet Neurol 2006; 5(3): 235-245.

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