HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Correspondence: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Koller, W. C. Articles by Montgomery, E. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Koller, W. C. Articles by Montgomery, E. B.

Issues in the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease

From the Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center (Dr. Koller), Kansas City, KS, and the Department of Neurology, University of Arizona Health Science Center (Dr. Montgomery), Tucson, AZ.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. William C. Koller, Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160-7314.

Abstract.

The clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is most difficult early in the disease when the signs and symptoms are most subtle. The differential diagnosis of PD includes a number of movement disorders with similar symptomatology (e.g., essential tremor, multiple system atrophy, vascular parkinsonism). In most published studies of PD, the disease is diagnosed simply by the presence of two of the three cardinal motor signs-tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia-or by the presence of three of the four motor signs: tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. However, there is an obvious need for better diagnostic criteria. Until discrete biologic markers are developed, the use of exclusion criteria may improve the accuracy of the presumptive diagnosis of PD.