 Medical Tests You May Have When You Have Parkinson’s
When you are being evaluated for Parkinson’s disease—or living with it after diagnosis—you may undergo several different medical tests and assessments. This can be confusing because there is no single routine blood test, scan or procedure that definitively proves someone has Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is primarily a clinical diagnosis. That means a neurologist considers your medical history, symptoms and physical examination. Other tests may support the diagnosis, rule out conditions that resemble Parkinson’s or identify problems that need additional treatment. Not everyone will need every test. 1. Neurological examination The neurological examination is the most important part of diagnosing Parkinson’s. The doctor may evaluate: * Slowness of movement * Resting tremor * Muscle rigidity * Balance and posture * Walking and turning * Arm swing * Facial expression * Speech volume * Reflexes * Hand and finger coordination You may be asked to tap your fingers, open and close your hands, rise from a chair, walk down a hallway or recover your balance after a gentle pull backward. These simple-looking tasks can reveal patterns that help a movement-disorder specialist distinguish Parkinson’s from essential tremor, medication side effects and other forms of parkinsonism. 2. Medical and medication history Your medical history is another major part of the evaluation. The doctor will want to know when your symptoms began, which side of the body was affected first and how the symptoms have changed. |