TESTS AND DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis:

The symptoms of Parkinson’s are not evident in its early stages. It’s hard to diagnose earlier. The regret for the patient is always there that in case they had observed it before then the disease could have been treated initially. There’s a possibility that you might have ignored it as Parkinsonism and not Parkinson’s.

How is Parkinson’s diagnosed?

The initial diagnosis is done by a general physician who suspects of a certain disorder and hence refers you to a neurological disorder specialist or a movement disorder specialist. The practitioner should have been an expert and well trained to understand Parkinson’s.

Unfortunately there are no tests that can be conducted to identify the Parkinson’s. The Parkinson’s disease specialist relies on the symptoms and the problems the patient is undergoing. He takes detailed information of the neurological history of the patient and draws a result out of his examination. Some of the physical exams that he might conduct would be-

• Whether or not the arms tremor when it is in rest or it is extended.
• He observes his expression if it’s natural or a forced or a struggled one.
• If he experiences stiffness in neck or limbs.
• If you can swing your arms and walk in the usual way.
• He observes your posture and your balance.
• How quickly are you able to gather yourself up from a chair or find any difficulty with it?

Despite these observations, a specialist would still find it difficult to come to a conclusion of the kind of disease he might be having as these symptoms are not just related to Parkinson’sbut also to many other neurological disorders. Hence, even the best practitioner will find it difficult to diagnose the disease. The reason behind any additional tests is to rule out other diseases that mock Parkinson’s like stroke and hydrocephalus.

Levodopa is a chemical that builds dopamine and helps in regulating the normal function of the brain. The condition of the patient with Parkinson’s improves is what is observed. It, in fact, helps the practitioner in the diagnosis process. It’s up to the doctor’s decision whether or not the medication is necessary. One might seek a second opinion at any of the best hospitals for Parkinson’s disease to be surer of the disease patterns, diagnosis or for its treatment than having predicaments.

Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (P.D.F.)has helplines for patients experiencing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease where you can take an appointment with one of the best movement disorder specialists. The helplines are(800) 457-6676 between Monday and Friday, 9 AM EDT to 5 PM EDT and the staff will put you in touch with an eminent medical practitioner.

Why aren’t there any tests to diagnose Parkinson’s?

So far the diagnosis for Parkinson’s has been a thorough physical examination. Researchers are working towards finding an appropriate method for a diagnosis like a blood test or a scan. The latest has been a specialized brain scanning technique to understand the dopamine release in the brain and its metabolism which is of course very expensive and is found in only top Parkinson’s hospital in Hyderabad.