Parkinson's and Movement Disorders

The classical features of Parkinson’s disease are usually straightforward to spot: 

  • Resting Tremor

  • Muscular rigidity

  • Paucity of movement (bradykinesia)

What are the more subtle presentations to be aware of?

Are there any tests that can be done if there is a clinical suspicion of Parkinson’s disease? What should you do, or who should you direct your patient to see? The UK Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank Clinical Diagnostic Criteria (Hughes et al. 1992) for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease are based on the presence of Bradykinesia — slowness of initiation of voluntary movement with a progressive reduction in speed and amplitude of repetitive actions - and at least one of the following: 

  • Muscular rigidity,

  • A tremor at rest, at a frequency of 4-6 Hz

  • Postural instability not caused by primary visual, vestibular, cerebellar, or proprioceptive dysfunction.

However it is critical to exclude other conditions, which mimic Parkinson’s and this is a clinical challenge for many patients, their carers and their doctors, so it is important to see the right person.Even though Parkinson's Disease affects the whole brain, and thus the symptoms can and will affect the whole body the initial symptoms of are often unilateral.In tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease, tremor may be the only feature at presentation.In akinetic-rigid Parkinson’s, tremor is often absent, (akinesia is a severe lack of spontaneous movement, more severe than bradykinesia).In the elderly, due to their other co-morbidities, bradykinesia and rigidity can be misdiagnosed as a normal consequence of ageing. Sometimes the only presenting symptom may be pain/stiffness, for example a unilateral “frozen shoulder” and the signs of Parkinson’s may remain subtle in the hands.

What happens on movement?

The resting tremor usually subsides significantly when the patient moves or on action; when the patient writes, the handwriting (without tremor) may however become progressively smaller and examining. Generally, patients or carers may have noted a slowing down, a change of facial expression (hypomimia), a slight change in posture (forward trunk flexion), painless dragging of one leg, or shuffling of both legs during walking.

Parkinson’s Disease is a Clinical Diagnosis

The patient has to be seen by someone experienced not only in Parkinson's disease but also the things that look like Parkinson's, the mimics. Only then can any tests be considered. Tests have two purposes:

  • To exclude other disorders which might mimic Parkinson’s disease, and

  • Tests which are highly suggestive of loss of dopaminergic brain function.

Routine blood tests need to exclude general metabolic causes of 'slowing', for example anaemia, vitamin deficiencies, chronic renal or liver disease, calcium disorders and hypothyroidism. Also, hyperthyroidism should also be excluded for those with tremor. A CT brain can indicate if further tests are required to assess chronic hydrocephalus or significant brain vascular disease.For selected patients, if there is still doubt, MRI brain may help — it will pick up earlier disease if there is still doubt — though the scan is much longer, the patient must be able to lie very still and not suffer from claustrophobia. DaTScan (a nuclear medicine, dopamine transporter scan) is not usually available in General Practitioner, but is available to Hospital doctors and Parkinson's specialists, who generally can choose the right patients to use the scan in, where the scan will give the most useful information. DaTScan measures the function of only the pre-synaptic nigro-striatal dopamine pathway — it is these neurones that carry dopamine, and when they are lost Parkinson's is one of the main causes. 

The DatScan is Normal:

A normal scan is seen when the process does not affect dopamine transporters, such as: 

  • essential tremor, dystonic tremor or other dystonia (not all dystonia has tremor)

  • drug-induced parkinsonism and/or tremore

  • functional parkinsonism and/or tremor

The DatScan is Abnormal:

If the DatScan is abnormal this confirms presynaptic dopamine dysfunction, but the scan cannot differentiate the various causes of this, which include:

  • not only idiopathic Parkinson’s disease but also

  • the parkinson — plus syndromes — in the latter, nigral (presynaptic) dysfunction is also present but this occurs in the presence of other clinical or MRI features of other system dysfunctions (i.e. they are the combination of parkinsonian signs plus other features).

It is the need to consider the things that look like Parkinson's that needs the expert attention, if the right scan is done in the wrong patient at the wrong time, with an incomplete clinical assessment then the patient might be started on the wrong treatment, with the potential for side effects, but with no benefits.

This post is for general information only and does not constitute specific medical advice. No responsibility can be taken for actions based on this general advice, if you have concerns please consider discussing them with the patient, carer or their doctor or looking on the Parkinson's disease website.

Dr Reddy is a Consultant Neurogeriatrician at King’s College Hospital in the Departments of Clinical Gerontology and The Movement disorders Unit. He is trained as a Geriatrician and completed his research degree MD (Res) from King’s College London and has published extensively on the non-oral therapies in Parkinson’s. He manages patients on the Acute Health and Ageing Ward, the Frailty Unit and also works with Dr Philip Kelly providing emergency care to patients who attend King's College Hospital as an emergency. If you would like to see Dr Reddy to consider your symptoms, or with another problem please contact Guthrie on 020 3299 3848.