Clinical Features of Parkinson’s Disease

Since James Parkinson’s original description of the shaking palsy in 1817, the classic clinical features of moderate-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD) have become widely known to physicians and even to the general public. Statistically speaking, most patients who present with resting tremor, slowing of movement, gait difficulty, and limb rigidity have idiopathic PD. When a typical resting tremor appears in the elderly, patients and their relatives may begin to suspect the diagnosis before a formal evaluation by a physician. Because treatments for the symptoms of PD abound today and putative “neuroprotective” agents are entering clinical trials, early diagnosis is essential.