Blood Test Would Detect Parkinsons In Early Stages
A group of researchers developed a blood test that would allow neurologists detect Parkinsons disease and track the illness as it progresses.
If successful, we expect our findings will translate into a valuable diagnostic tool for Parkinsons disease, said study co-author Judith Potashkin, professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology at Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
According to the Parkinsons Disease Foundation, it is estimated that 60,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Parkinsons disease each year.; Data from 2013, by the University Center for Health Sciences at the University of Guadalajara, reported more than 500,000 cases of this neurodegenerative condition in Mexico. The same year, an economic model of Parkinsons disease forecasted that cases in the worlds population will double by 2040.
Now days, this disease is still incurable. It can cause tremors and severely hamper movement. Although medications allow controlling the condition, it gets worse over the years and medications do not stop its progression.
The traditional method to diagnose Parkinsons is by analyzing symptoms. Currently, brain scans are available, allowing the analysis of imaging studies to detect the disease; however, the information obtained from these devices may still be somewhat imprecise, Potashkin said.
The study was published in the Feb. 3 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Importance Of Early Diagnosis
Early detection and diagnosis is important because the treatments for PD are more effective in the early stages of the disease. In addition, physical therapy and exercise, which greatly improve symptoms and delay progression of the disease, are much easier to perform in the early stages.
Current diagnosis is made through the presence of motor symptoms; however, researchers have found that by the time motor symptoms occur, over 60% of all dopamine neurons in the basal ganglia of the brain have been damaged. Non-motor symptoms become apparent in people with PD long before motor symptoms, including sleep disturbances and loss of the sense of smell.3
Active areas of research include looking for markers in the blood, urine, or cerebral spinal fluid that reliably detect PD, called biomarkers. In addition, brain imaging tests that have high sensitivity for detecting PD are also being actively researched.4
How A Smell Test Is Performed
The vast majority of all olfactory studies in Parkinsons disease patients have used the University of Pennsylvania smell;identification test. This test, developed in the early 1980s, is a scratch and sniff test, made up of 40 microencapsulated odorants. The person being tested is required to choose among four descriptors for each odorant. This test has been adapted for use in many different languages and cultures.
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The Smell Test Is Nonspecific
It is important to note that smell tests are nonspecific; about;15 to 25 percent of older people have a reduced sense of smell, but only a small number of them develop Parkinsons. Since loss of smell can be caused by other factors such as blocked sinuses or head injury, smell tests cannot be used for the accurate diagnosis of Parkinsons disease.
Parkinsons News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
What Is Essential Tremor And How Is It Different To A Parkinsons Tremor
A tremor is a rhythmical, involuntary movement that affects a part of the body, such as the hand.
Essential tremor is the most common type of tremor. Its most noticeable when your hands are doing something and it usually affects both the right and left sides of the body equally. Essential tremors often lessen when your body is resting.;
Unlike an essential tremor, a Parkinsons tremor is most obvious when the affected body part is resting and tends to be less noticeable with movement. It usually starts on one side of the body and may progress to the other side as Parkinsons develops.
The time it takes to get a diagnosis can vary from person to person. Some people may receive a diagnosis of Parkinsons quite quickly, but for others it may be a long process. This can be due to a number of things, including your medical history, your age and what symptoms you have.
Your specialist may wish to rule out other causes of your symptoms first and see how you respond to treatment. This may take some time, and, as already mentioned, there is currently no definitive test;for Parkinsons.
How you respond to treatment may help your specialist make a diagnosis. Keeping a diary or record of your symptoms will give the specialist more information to guide their decision.
Because the symptoms of Parkinsons are sometimes similar to other forms of parkinsonism, people can sometimes be misdiagnosed.;
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Testing For Parkinsons Disease
There is no lab or imaging test that is recommended or definitive for Parkinsons disease. However, in 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an imaging scan called the DaTscan. This technique allows doctors to see detailed pictures of the brains dopamine system.
A DaTscan involves an injection of a small amount of a radioactive drug and a machine called a single-photon emission computed tomography scanner, similar to an MRI.
The drug binds to dopamine transmitters in the brain, showing where in the brain dopaminergic neurons are.
The results of a DaTscan cant show that you have Parkinsons, but they can help your doctor confirm a diagnosis or rule out a Parkinsons mimic.
How A Diagnosis Is Made
The bedside examination by a neurologist remains the first and most important diagnostic tool for Parkinsons disease . Researchers are working to develop a standard biological marker such as a blood test or an imaging scan that is sensitive and specific for Parkinsons disease.
A neurologist will make the diagnosis based on:
- A detailed history of symptoms, medical problems, current and past medications. Certain medical conditions, as well as some medications, can cause symptoms similar to Parkinsons.
- A detailed neurological examination during which a neurologist will ask you to perform tasks to assess the agility of arms and legs, muscle tone, gait and balance, to see if:
- Expression and speech are animated.
- Tremor can be observed in your extremities at rest or in action.
- There is stiffness in extremities or neck.
- You can maintain your balance and examine your posture.
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What Doctors Look For When Diagnosing Parkinsons
Certain physical signs and symptoms noticed by the patient or his or her loved ones are usually what prompt a person to see the doctor. These are the symptoms most often noticed by patients or their families:
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Shaking or;tremor: Called resting tremor, a trembling of a hand or foot that happens when the patient is at rest and typically stops when he or she is active or moving
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Bradykinesia: Slowness of movement in the limbs, face, walking or overall body
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Rigidity: Stiffness in the arms, legs or;trunk
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Posture instability: Trouble with balance and possible falls
Once the patient is at the doctors office, the physician:
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Takes a medical history and does a physical examination.
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Asks about current and past medications. Some medications may cause symptoms that mimic Parkinsons disease.
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Performs a neurological examination, testing agility, muscle tone, gait and balance.
Response To Parkinsons Drugs
After examining you, and depending on the severity of your symptoms, your specialist may suggest you take medication for Parkinsons. If your symptoms improve after taking Parkinsons medication for a few weeks or months, your specialist may confirm a Parkinsons diagnosis. However, some people with other forms of parkinsonism will also respond well to these drugs.;
Your specialist may suggest you have a scan to help make a diagnosis. However, scans alone cant make a definite diagnosis of Parkinsons, so they are not commonly used.
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What Research Has Been Done And The Need To Improve:
CANTAB Connect for Parkinsons disease is a rapid, reliable, and highly sensitive system for academic research or clinical trials. The CANTAB battery has demonstrated potential advantages when compared to other neuropsychological tests, such as for detecting cognitive impairment in Parkinsons disease7 and also avoiding floor and ceiling effects. It is highly sensitive to disease progression, can discriminate cognitive impairment due to comorbid depression, and detects untoward effects of medications on cognition11-14. It has also been shown to predict conversion to dementia in patients with Parkinsons disease15. The use of CANTAB in research of Parkinsons disease is clinically relevant: cognitive decline measured by the battery correlates with loss of day-to-day functioning in patients with Parkinsons disease16.
Furthermore, CANTAB maximises scope for sample enrichment, and for demonstrating disease modifying capability of interventions.
There are currently over 125;peer-reviewed publications supporting the application of CANTAB in research of Parkinsons disease. To find out more, .
Is Early Diagnosis Possible
Experts are becoming more aware of symptoms of Parkinsons that precede physical manifestations. Clues to the disease that sometimes show up before motor symptoms and before a formal diagnosis are called prodromal symptoms. These include the loss of sense of smell, a sleep disturbance called REM behavior disorder, ongoing constipation thats not otherwise explained and mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression.
Research into these and other early symptoms holds promise for even more sensitive testing and diagnosis.
For example, biomarker research is trying to answer the question of who gets Parkinsons disease. Researchers hope that once doctors can predict that a person with very early symptoms will eventually get Parkinsons disease, those patients can be appropriately treated. At the very least, these advances could greatly delay progression.
Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center
Our center provides compassionate and timely treatment to patients with movement disorders, such as dystonia, ataxia, essential tremor and similar conditions. But our mission goes beyond patient care excellence. By offering educational events and support groups, we empower patients and caregivers to become better partners in their health.
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Blood Tests And Spinal Fluid Tests
A blood test or spinal fluid test cant be used to diagnose Parkinsons. But they can be used to search for certain proteins that indicate you may have another neurodegenerative condition with similar symptoms.
The presence of elevated levels of a nerve protein called neurofilament light chain protein may indicate that you have another movement disorder, such as:
- multiple system atrophy
- corticobasal degeneration
What Tests Might I Have
Your doctor may want to start by testing your blood or doing a brain scan to rule out other conditions.
People who have Parkinsonâs disease donât make enough of a brain chemical called dopamine, which helps you move. If those first tests donât show a reason for your symptoms, your doctor may ask you to try a medication called carbidopa-levodopa, which your brain can turn into dopamine. If your symptoms get much better after you start the drug, your doctor probably will tell you that you have Parkinsonâs disease.
If the medication doesnât work for you and thereâs no other explanation for your issues, your doctor might suggest an imaging test called a DaTscan. This uses a small amount of a radioactive drug and a special scanner, called a single photon emission computed tomography scanner, to see how much dopamine is in your brain. This test can’t tell you for sure that you have Parkinson’s disease, but it can give your doctor more information to work with.
It can take a long time for some people to get a diagnosis. You may need to see your neurologist regularly so they can keep an eye on your symptoms and eventually figure out whatâs behind them.
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Simple Skin Test Can Confirm Parkinsons Diagnosis
This post is available in: Spanish
Patients suspected of having Parkinsons disease can now have their diagnosis confirmed with a simple skin test available at Marcus Neuroscience Institute in Boca Raton. The test identifies abnormal alpha-synuclein proteins in nerve fibers of the skin, which experts say are linked to Parkinsons and a variety of other movement disorders.
Sameea Husain Wilson, D.O., director of Movement Disorder Neurology for at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, says the Syn-One Test gives movement disorder specialists like herself the ability to confirm a clinical diagnosis with up to 99 percent accuracy.
Diagnosing a neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinsons disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, or multiple system atrophy can be challenging, saysDr. Husain. While patients with advanced disease have symptoms that are fairly obvious, thats not always the case for those with early-stage disease.
Studies show that a misdiagnosis can occur 30 to 50 percent of the time in earlier stages of a neurodegenerative disease. This, Dr. Husain says, is why you want to see a fellowship-trained neurologist who is specially trained to spot the differences between Parkinsons disease and other movement disorders. Its also why you want to go to a specialized center such as Marcus Neuroscience Institute that offers the Syn-One test.
- Tremor, mainly at rest
- Limb rigidity
- Gait;and balance problems
How Is Parkinsons Diagnosed
Doctors use your medical history and physical examination to diagnose Parkinson’s disease . No blood test, brain scan or other test can be used to make a definitive diagnosis of PD.
Researchers believe that in most people, Parkinson’s is caused by a;combination of;environmental and genetic;factors. Certain environmental exposures, such as pesticides and head injury, are associated with an increased risk of PD. Still, most people have no clear exposure that doctors can point to as a straightforward cause. The same goes for genetics.;Certain genetic mutations are linked to an increased risk of PD. But in the vast majority of people, Parkinsons is not directly related to a single genetic mutation. Learning more about the genetics of Parkinsons is one of our best chances to understand more about the disease and discover how to slow or stop its progression.
Aging is the greatest risk factor;for Parkinsons, and the average age at diagnosis is 60.;Still, some people get PD at 40 or younger.
Men are diagnosed with Parkinsons at a higher rate than women and whites more than other races. Researchers are studying these disparities to understand more about the disease and health care access and to improve inclusivity across care and research.;
Aging is the greatest risk factor;for Parkinsons, and the average age at diagnosis is 60.;Still, some people get PD at 40 or younger.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation has made finding a test for Parkinsons disease one of our top priorities.
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What Are My Next Steps
If your doctor doesnt diagnose Parkinsons, they can help you find out what the best next step is depending on what condition they suspect. In some cases, treatment may be as simple as changing the dosage of a medication that may be leading to Parkinsons-like symptoms.
Receiving a Parkinsons diagnosis can be overwhelming. If your diagnosis is confirmed, contact a movement disorder specialist as soon as possible. A specialist can help you develop a strategy to delay the onset of more severe disease and manage symptoms youre already experiencing.
Ruling Out Other Conditions
The process of ruling out similar conditions is referred to as differential diagnosis. Parkinsons has symptoms in common with Alzheimers disease, frontotemporal dementia, and Huntington disease. Parkinsons symptoms can be caused by medications such as antipsychotics that may be taken for depression or schizophrenia. Parkinsonism can also be caused by another disease; this is known as secondary parkinsonism. Conditions that can cause secondary Parkinsonism include hydrocephalus , some types of brain tumors, Wilsons disease, problems with the parathyroid gland, chronic liver failure, issues with the blood supply to the brain, and infections such as HIV, neurosyphilis, toxoplasmosis, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy .
Your doctor may be able to quickly rule many of these conditions based on your medical and family history or simple blood tests. Other disorders may require time and repeated tests before they can be confirmed or ruled out. The presence of other diseases in addition to Parkinsons may complicate the differential diagnosis and eventually result in multiple diagnoses.
Condition Guide
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Gauging Speed Of Movement
Bradykinesia occurs in most people who have Parkinson’s. It may cause a lack of spontaneous facial expression and fewer eye blinks per minute than usual, and your doctor will look for these signs in your physical exam.
Your doctor also may assess your speed of movement by asking you to open and close each hand or tap your index finger against your thumb repeatedly, making large movements as quickly as possible. In people with Parkinson’s disease, the movement may start off fast and precise, but it will deteriorate quickly, becoming slow and limited.
Gait is also another way to test for this. Observing a patient while they walk, noting the length of their stride as well as the speed at which they move, can tell doctors quite a bit. Lack of arm swing is also a feature that appears fairly early in those with Parkinson’s.