Parkinsonism Syndromes, Including Atypical Parkinsonism

Parkinsonism is a term that refers to patients whose symptoms include tremors, slowness of movement, and stiffness in the extremities. People with Parkinson’s disease or atypical parkinsonism are deemed to have features of parkinsonism.

If you have atypical parkinsonism, however, you share features similar to those of Parkinson’s disease, but you also have features not usually seen in the early stages of that disease. Atypical features include:

• Early orthostatic hypotension
• Early instability of gait
• Early dementia
• Gaze palsies

Atypical parkinsonism patients tend not to have the classic tremor at rest seen in Parkinson’s disease patients, have a more rapid course of illness, and respond poorly to typical parkinsonian therapies. Symptoms of atypical parkinsonism are rare, often subtle, and difficult to diagnose initially.

Atypical parkinsonism syndromes include:

• Progressive supranuclear palsy
• Lewy body dementia
• Corticobasal ganglionic degeneration
• Multiple system atrophy

Differentiating atypical parkinsonism from Parkinson’s disease is important, as it helps predict how well you will respond to therapy, how your disease will progress, and the course of your illness. Therefore, it is crucial that you be seen by an experienced physician, such as those at Mount Sinai’s Robert and John M. Bendheim Parkinson and Movement Disorders Center, for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

At the Robert and John M. Bendheim Parkinson and Movement Disorders Center, our physicians are trained to recognize and diagnose parkinsonism syndromes and atypical parkinsonism. We have a great deal of experience in evaluating these diseases.

To make an appointment, please call the Robert and John M. Bendheim Parkinson and Movement Disorders Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center at 212-241-5607. The Center is conveniently located on the Upper East Side of New York City.