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Many neurological disorders share features of Parkinson's disease. These disorders are collectively referred to as parkinsonism.
A patient with Parkinson's disease symptoms may be referred to as parkinsonian, but may have a disorder other than Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's plus syndromes (PD Plus) include some signs of Parkinson's disease, as well as additional symptoms such as inappropriate eye movement control (see progressive supranuclear palsy), autonomic dysfunction (see multiple system atrophy), muscle weakness and atrophy, profound memory difficulties and behavioral disturbances, and others.
Some Parkinson's plus syndromes include:
With Parkinson's Plus syndromes, response to typical Parkinson's disease medications is usually poor, short lasting or absent. Pathological abnormalities seen on autopsy also differentiate Parkinson's plus syndrome from Parkinson's disease.
Prognosis for Parkinson's plus syndromes is usually poorer with shorter survival time, rapid disease progression and more pronounced disability than for typical medication-responsive Parkinson's disease. The Parkinson's plus syndromes tend to run in families more often than typical Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's plus syndromes represent about 15 percent of patients with Parkinson's-like features seen in the specialized movement disorders clinics.
In about 10 percent of Parkinson's patients, a cause can be identified. The presence of an identifiable cause classifies these patients as having secondary Parkinson's. A physician may recommend doing diagnostic studies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or computed tomography (CT) of the head or other additional tests, including checking blood and urine specimens to search out a primary cause.
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