Parkinson disease

Question Question

Are there any diseases that have similar symptoms to Parkinson disease?

Answer Answer

A number of disorders can cause symptoms similar to those of Parkinson disease. People with symptoms that resemble Parkinson disease but that result from other causes are sometimes said to have parkinsonism. Some of these disorders are listed below.^[1]

Postencephalitic parkinsonism
Drug-induced parkinsonism
Toxin-induced parkinsonism
Arteriosclerotic parkinsonism
Parkinsonism-dementia complex of Guam
Post-traumatic parkinsonism
Essential tremor
Normal pressure hydrocephalus
Progressive supranuclear palsy
Corticobasal degeneration
Multiple system atrophy
Dementia with Lewy bodies

More information on each of these conditions is available in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) publication, Parkinson's Disease: Hope Through Research.

Parkinsonian symptoms may also appear in patients with other, clearly distinct neurological disorders such as Wilson disease, Huntington disease, Alzheimer disease, spinocerebellar ataxias, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Each of these disorders has specific features that help to distinguish them from Parkinson disease.^[1]

Last updated: 7/19/2010

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GARD Information Specialist

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