CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Parkinson's disease (PD) remains one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, affecting 1% of the population older than the age of 65. 47 The last 5 years have been marked by rapid developments in the understanding of the pathophysiology of PD as well as the introduction of a number of new drugs for symptomatic treatment of the disease. The diagnosis of PD is still made on purely clinical grounds, based on the original description by Parkinson in 1817. 76 As a result of continuing advances in therapy, it is increasingly important to recognize PD in its earliest stages. It is no less critical to distinguish PD from other causes of parkinsonism because both prognosis and response to treatment are different.