Can Combinations of Symptoms Identify Persons with Early Parkinson Disease?

Screening for Parkinson disease using prodromal symptoms was as accurate as current screening tests for certain cancers.

The first symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD) have been referred to by many experts as prodromal. In this study from a cohort of 51,529 U.S.-based male health professionals who filled out biannual questionnaires, the authors assessed and then reassessed 6108 men using two composite measures. The first was co-occurrence of constipation, probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (pRBD), and hyposmia. The second was probability of prodromal PD calculated from the Movement Disorders Society research criteria.

During an average follow-up of 3.4 years, 103 men had a new diagnosis of PD. Those with constipation, pRBD, and hyposmia had a 23 times increased risk for PD diagnosis compared to those with none of these symptoms. Those with any o…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)