HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Measuring a particular blood protein might help doctors easily distinguish Parkinson‘s disease from some similar disorders, a new study suggests.
The potential blood test is “not ready for prime time,” Parkinson’s disease experts said. But, it marks progress in the quest for an objective way to diagnose Parkinson’s and similar conditions known as atypical parkinsonian disorders, they noted.
Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that affects nearly 1 million people in the United States alone, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.
The root cause is unclear, but as the disease progresses, the brain loses cells that produce dopamine — a chemical that regulates movement. As a result, people suffer symptoms such as tremors, stiff limbs, and balance and coordination problems that gradually worsen over time.
Right now, there is no blood test, brain scan or other objective measure that can definitively diagnose Parkinson’s, said James Beck, vice president of scientific affairs for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.
“In general, Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed with a clinical exam,” Beck explained.
The best person to make that call is a neurologist with expertise in movement disorders, according to Beck.
“But,” he said, “even highly trained doctors initially get it wrong about 10 percent of the time.”
In the earlier stages, Beck said, Parkinson’s symptoms can be very similar to those of atypical parkinsonian disorders, or APDs.
APDs are fairly rare, and include conditions known as progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal syndrome and multiple system atrophy.
There is no cure for Parkinson’s or APDs, or any way to halt their progression.
But it’s important to distinguish between the two as early as possible, said the study’s lead author Dr. Oskar Hansson. He’s a researcher at Lund University in Sweden.
That’s because the course of an APD differs from that of Parkinson’s, Hansson explained.
“Patients with APD do usually have a much worse prognosis, with faster disease progression and more disabling symptoms,” he said.
Plus, Hansson noted, their symptoms usually don’t respond well to the dopamine-targeting medications used to manage Parkinson’s. Patients with APDs may need more intensive management with a “team of movement disorder specialists,” he said.
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