Walk into the bedroom. Click on your remote. Lean over to pet your dog. Grab laundry from the hamper to throw into the washer. All of these actions involve movement.
Most of us don’t think twice about the processes that go on in our brains to make these movements possible — but suffice it to say, there are many.
When those processes go awry because something happens to the brain cells which control movement, you may develop a movement disorder.
Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms
Parkinson’s disease symptoms include tremors, muscle rigidity, slow movement, and impaired balance and coordination known as postural instability. However, each of these symptoms is shared by other movement disorders.
Movement disorders have a big impact. All combined, gait disorders that affect movement and walking are experienced by about 32 percent of adults over 60 (not including those patients who live in hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions).
Doctors often treat other types of movement disorders with Parkinson’s disease medication, although these don’t always work well.
Movement Disorders Similar to Parkinson’s
Conditions causing excess movement or decreased movement that are sometimes associated with Parkinson's disease-like symptoms include:
- Progressive supranuclear palsy. This brain disorder affects walking and balance often resulting in falls. The condition can also cause problems with vision and eye movement. It does not usually respond to medication.
- Multiple system atrophy. A rare but progressive nervous system disorder, this condition shares some of the same symptoms as Parkinson's disease. It can cause poor coordination, slurred speech, problems with breathing, difficulty swallowing, and constipation. Parkinson's medications may provide some relief.
- Viral parkinsonism. Some viral diseases, such as encephalitis lethargica (sleeping sickness), Western equine encephalomyelitis, Eastern equine encephalomyelitis, and Japanese B encephalitis — all infections of the brain — can cause Parkinson's-like symptoms.
- Essential tremor. An essential tremor produces tremors, or uncontrolled shaking, in the hands and sometimes the head, that progress over time. The tremor is not associated with other Parkinson's disease symptoms. Certain medications can be helpful in managing an essential tremor, but Parkinson's disease medication is not effective.
- Drug- and toxin-induced parkinsonism. Taking certain medications, like Thorazine (chlorpromazine), Haldol (haloperidol), Reglan (metoclopramide), reserpine, can bring on Parkinson's disease symptoms. Exposure to toxins such as manganese dust, carbon disulfide, and carbon monoxide can as well. Symptoms normally subside once you stop taking the medication or stay away from the toxin.
- Post-traumatic parkinsonism. Severe or frequent head injuries can cause post-traumatic parkinsonism. This condition can also be associated with dementia. Boxers, other athletes, and people whose professions put them at increased risk for blows to the head may be susceptible to this condition.
- Arteriosclerotic parkinsonism. Sometimes the brain damage incurred by small strokes can lead to Parkinson's–like symptoms. When this is the case, Parkinson's disease medication will not alleviate the symptoms.
- Parkinsonism-dementia complex of Guam. This disease affects the indigenous people of Guam and the Mariana Islands. Unlike people with Parkinson's disease, who do not usually die of the disease, people with parkinsonism-dementia complex of Guam typically die within five years.
- Cortical basal ganglionic degeneration. This condition occurs when the areas of your brain known as the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia waste away. As with Parkinson's disease, rigidity and impaired balance may begin on one side of the body and eventually spread to the other side. However, unlike Parkinson's, this degenerative condition does not usually respond to treatment with medication.
- Lewy-body disease. Lewy bodies are abnormal proteins that disrupt neurological functioning and deplete dopamine levels in the brain. They can lead to symptoms like those of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, as well as to hallucinations, delusions, and sometimes depression. Parkinson's disease medication can ease some Lewy-body disease symptoms, but these medications tend to make hallucinations and delusions more severe.
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). A build up of fluid within the brain may cause difficulties with walking and balance, which might be confused with Parkinson’s disease. Usually, there will also be signs of dementia and loss of bladder control with this disorder, though. Once diagnosed, NPH can be cured with the placement of a shunt to drain excess fluid.
What Movement Disorder Could I Have?
When making a Parkinson's diagnosis, your doctor will review your medical history and symptoms, perform a careful neurological exam, and, if necessary, carry out further tests to rule out other movement disorders.
Your symptoms may be caused by a movement disorder other than Parkinson's disease if:
- You display Parkinson's disease symptoms and features that are characteristic of an additional movement disorder.
- The results of a brain imaging study or laboratory test, such as a blood test, confirm the presence of another movement disorder.
- Your symptoms do not respond to Parkinson's disease medication.
Because movement disorders are not all treated the same way, it is important to get a proper diagnosis as early as possible so you can formulate the right treatment plan with your doctor.