Why is Parkinson's disease difficult to diagnose?
While Parkinson's disease has very distinctive features, it is
rather a difficult disease to identify, particularly while it is
in its early stages. Unfortunately there are no precise tests,
which doctors can do to establish an exact diagnosis of
Parkinson's disease and regrettably especially in its early
stages it might be mistaken for other diseases. If and when this
happens, it delays or prevents the appropriate action being
administered in the quickest feasible time.
The trouble with diagnosing Parkinson's disease accurately is
just that the symptoms are not always as clear as doctors would
like them to be, Actually there are suggestions that up to 25%
of those people presently being treated for Parkinson's disease
might have been wrongly diagnosed and are thus getting
inappropriate treatment.
Generally patients that are suspected of suffering from
Parkinson's disease are given tests to guarantee they are
certainly not suffering from an illness that can be diagnosed
using common methods such as CT scanning, urine sampling X-ray
and blood tests etc. However just because these tests may have
an inconclusive answer, it doesn't always mean the person is
definitely suffering from Parkinson's disease. Regrettably some
doctors think this is the case, and will automatically offer a
diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
Tests that can be carried out to test for Parkinson's disease
involve systematic neurological assessments that comprise
testing the person's reflexes, balance, muscle strength walk and
common movement. Because there are a range of neurological
disorders that have similar characteristics to Parkinson's
disease, it's not very surprising that Parkinson's disease is so
regularly misdiagnosed. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed
with Parkinson's disease, it doesn't always hurt to ask your
doctor for a second opinion or even better to request to be
referred to a physician who specialises in this kind of disease.
An early accurate diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is normally
the key to the sufferer being able to preserve their
independence and a decent quality of life for fairly a long
time.
Some neurological conditions that are regularly confused with
Parkinson's disease include: - Multiple system atrophy
Supranuclear palsy
Benign Essential Tremor Multiple Sclerosis
Huntington's disease
Striato-Nigral Degeneration
Brain tumour
Remaining as independent as feasible is vital to the wellbeing
of most sufferers of Parkinson's disease, and ensuring the
symptoms are kept to a minimum by both an accurate diagnosis and
treatment is the key to achieving this.