Parkinson’s disease tops the list of easily misdiagnosed diseases

  Clinical statistics show that misdiagnosis occurs in approximately 40% of initial diagnoses. Doctors need not only experience and examination to make a diagnosis, but also accurate description of the patient’s condition. Patients who are knowledgeable about the disease and provide adequate clues to the doctor during the visit can reduce the rate of misdiagnosis.  In an article published on February 4 by Mother Nature Network, the Harvard Medical School’s Professor Tagar Gandhi summarized the “most important facts” about the disease. Professor Gandhi summarized the “7 most misdiagnosed diseases”. The first of these is Parkinson’s disease. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremors in the limbs or head, muscle stiffness and balance problems, such as unsteady walking. It is often misdiagnosed as: Alzheimer’s disease, post-stroke, traumatic brain injury or primary tremor. The age of predilection is for people over 60 years old.  To improve the diagnostic accuracy of Parkinson’s disease. Patients must undergo a comprehensive neurological examination. New examination techniques include: brain molecular imaging techniques (especially PET detection of dopamine transporter protein), brain nigrostriatal ultrasound and special brain NMR techniques.