Do You Need To Know How Is Parkinson's Diagnosed?

Diagnosis of Parkinson

There is no specific test for Parkinson’s disease, making it sometimes a difficult condition to diagnose, especially early on. Parkinsonism - the group of signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease - may have other causes, such as dementia with Lewy bodies, progressive supranuclear palsy, as well as some antipsychotic medication, toxins, head injuries, and some types of stroke.
A GP (general practitioner, primary care physician), usually the first health care professional people see, will base diagnosis on the signs and symptoms, the patient’s medical history, as well as the results of a clinical examination.

Note

No tests can conclusively show that you have Parkinson's disease. Your doctor will base a diagnosis on your symptoms, medical history and a detailed physical examination.
Your GP will talk to you about the problems you're experiencing and may ask you to perform some simple mental or physical tasks, such as moving or walking around, to help with the diagnosis.
In the early stages, your GP may find it difficult to say whether you definitely have the condition because symptoms are usually mild.
If your GP suspects Parkinson's disease, you'll be referred to a specialist. This will usually be:
a neurologist – a specialist in conditions affecting the brain and nervous systema geriatrician – a specialist in problems affecting elderly people
The specialist will most likely ask you to perform a number of physical exercises so they can assess whether you have any problems with movement.
A diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is likely if you have at least two of the three following symptoms:

• shaking or tremor in a part of your body that usually only occurs at rest
• slowness of movement (bradykinesia)
• muscle stiffness (rigidity)
• If your symptoms improve after taking a medication called levodopa, it's more likely you have Parkinson's disease.

Special brain scans, such as a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan, may also be carried out in some cases to try to rule out other causes of your symptoms.