Description
A brain disease that results in tremor (shaking of the hand), stiff muscles, and difficulty initiating movement. The problem results from deterioration of a part of the brain called the "substantia nigra," where the brain hormone dopamine is made. Besides movement problems many patients experience depression, blandness of facial expression, and memory loss.
Symptoms
Stiff muscles, shuffling walk, slow movements, difficulty initiating movement, a need to walk quickly to maintain balance, a feeling of frozen joints when you have not been moving, shaking or bobbing of the head or shaking of the hand, loss of facial expression, a tremulous voice, loss of fine motor skills, frequent falls, decline in intellectual function, constipation.
Tests
Common tests used for diagnosis and treatment
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. The diagnosis can be made without additional tests. Response to treatment can confirm the diagnosis. A CT scan of the brain may be done to check for other causes of symptoms.
Tests:
CT Scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
Do I need this test?
Don't use PET imaging in the evaluation of patients with dementia unless the patient has been assessed by a specialist in this field. Without objective evidence of dementia, the potential benefit of PET is unlikely to justify the cost of radiation risk. Dementia subtypes have overlapping patterns in PET imaging. Clinical evaluation and imaging often provide additive information and should be assessed together to make a reliable diagnosis and to plan care. For Beta-amyloid PET imaging, it is not currently known what a positive PET result in a cognitively normal person means; this method is not established for an individual prediction.
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Neurology, Family Practice, Nuclear Medicine
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. The diagnosis can be made without additional tests. Response to treatment can confirm the diagnosis. A CT scan of the brain may be done to check for other causes of symptoms.
Tests:
CT Scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
Do I need this test?
Don't use PET imaging in the evaluation of patients with dementia unless the patient has been assessed by a specialist in this field. Without objective evidence of dementia, the potential benefit of PET is unlikely to justify the cost of radiation risk. Dementia subtypes have overlapping patterns in PET imaging. Clinical evaluation and imaging often provide additive information and should be assessed together to make a reliable diagnosis and to plan care. For Beta-amyloid PET imaging, it is not currently known what a positive PET result in a cognitively normal person means; this method is not established for an individual prediction.
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Neurology, Family Practice, Nuclear Medicine
Treatment
There is no known cure. Medications can relieve or improve symptoms. Several different medications are available. The most commonly used medicine is carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet). Some cases are treated with a surgically implanted brain stimulator.