How Can Parkinson's Disease Be Diagnosed?
Question: thank you....my brother in law is 64, lives in Chile......one neurologist told me he had Parkinson disease....however he has not been given any test like a PET scan or similar.....What is the first step about diagnosis....thank you...XXXX
Brief Answer:
Diagnosis is clinical
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have gone carefully through your query and understand your concerns. There is no objective test (such as a blood test, brain scan, PET or EEG) to make a definitive diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Instead, a doctor takes a careful medical history and performs a thorough neurological examination, looking in particular for two or more of the cardinal signs to be present. The concerned doctor therefore already has taken the first step towards diagnosis by matching for the cardinal signs. I think that you should proceed with the treatment suggested.
Let me know if I could help further.
Regards
Diagnosis is clinical
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have gone carefully through your query and understand your concerns. There is no objective test (such as a blood test, brain scan, PET or EEG) to make a definitive diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Instead, a doctor takes a careful medical history and performs a thorough neurological examination, looking in particular for two or more of the cardinal signs to be present. The concerned doctor therefore already has taken the first step towards diagnosis by matching for the cardinal signs. I think that you should proceed with the treatment suggested.
Let me know if I could help further.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana