Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in humans after Alzheimer’s disease. It has been estimated that approximately 1,000,000 persons are currently diagnosed with PD in the United States and approximately 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Symptoms can present in a variety of ways which may not be initially attributed to PD. In fact, many patients may see several doctors and receive several different diagnoses before the diagnosis of PD is made, often by a specialist several years after the initial symptoms. There are also numerous challenges in the management in all stages of PD as patients and providers often struggle with the timing and choice of pharmacological therapy as well as surgical and non-pharmacologic treatment options. There have been several guidelines developed throughout the world to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of PD; however, recommendations are often not consistent and they can be quite long and difficult to compare and contrast. This Pocket Notes concisely reviews the current guidelines available for the diagnosis and treatment of PD and provide the results of the guidelines in various tables that can be easily compared. In addition, the results of the guidelines are discussed and summarized to highlight the most consistent points throughout the guidelines and discuss the differences. This practical resource will help equip clinicians navigate through the diagnostic and treatment complexities of patients with Parkinson’s disease.