ABSTRACT
There are a number of diseases that can mimic Parkinson’s disease and make diagnosis difficult at times. The diseases that are most often discussed under the term “Parkinsonplus syndromes” include progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, corticobasal degeneration, and dementia with Lewy bodies. However, other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, drug-induced parkinsonism, and vascular parkinsonism, among many others, may present with clinical features similar to Parkinson’s disease. In this chapter, we briefly describe some of the more common mimickers of Parkinson’s disease. Then we outline clinical symptoms that are often helpful in approaching the differential diagnosis. Recently, the Scientific Issues Committee of the Movement Disorders Society commissioned an evaluation of the diagnostic criteria of the common neurodegenerative causes of Parkinsonism.1 We refer extensively to these and provide the recommended criteria for several disorders in tabular form.
