ACH - Movement disorders Flashcards
What is the triad of Parkinsonism?
- Bradykinesia (most important)
- Rigidity (muscular)
- Tremor (rest)
Note: postural + gait instability is not part of the triad but is an important symptom of parkinsonism
How is parkinsonism different to Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinsonism = syndrome of features; bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, postural instability etc.
Parkinson’s disease = one of many causes of parkinsonism and the disease for which parkinsonism syndrome of symptoms is named
Which drugs can cause parkinsonism?
- Phenothiazines e.g. chlorpromazine, prochlorperazine (tpical anti-psychotics)
- Butyrophenones: haloperidol, droperidol (typical anti-psychotics)
-
Metoclopramide (D2 antagonist anti-emetic) - can exacerbate parkinsonism as it crosses the BBB –> thus can counteract action of levodopa in Parkinson’s disease
- Note: Domperidone is also a dopamine antagonist anti-emetic but doesn’t cross BBB = safe in Parkinson’s disease
What non-drug causes of parkinsonism can you name?
- Parkinson’s disease
- Parkinson’s Plus syndromes (features of Parkinson’s + other features):
- Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
- Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
- Lewy Body Dementia
- Corticobasal degeneration
- Wilson’s disease
- Post-encephalitis
- Dementia Pugilistica (secondary to chronic head trauma e.g. boxing)
- Toxins: carbon monoxide, MPTP (causes permanent parkinson’s)
What protein are Lewy body aggregates composed of?
α-synuclein protein
What are the criteria for diagnosis of parkinsonism?
-
Bradykinesia (slowness of initiation of voluntary movement with progressive ↓ in speed + amplitude of repetitive actions) AND 1 or more of the following:
- Muscular rigidity
- Resting temor
- Postural instability not caused by primary visual, vestibular, cerebellar or proprioceptive dysfunction
What are the criteria for diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease?
(UK Parkinson’s disease society brain bank criteria)
3 or more of the following features:
- Unilateral onset
- Rest tremor present
- Progressive disorder
- Persistent asymmetry (affecting side of onset the most)
- Excellent response to levodopa
- Severe levodopa-induced chorea
- Levodopa response for 5 years or more
- Clinical course of 10 years or more
What are common features of Parkinson’s disease?
- Epidemiology
- men (x2) vs women
- mean age of diagnosis = 65 yrs
- Triad
- Bradykinesia - short, shuffling steps, reduced arm swing, difficulty initiating movement
- Tremor - worse at rest, stressed or tired, pill-rolling
- Rigidity - lead pipe / cog-wheel
- Other features:
- Postural instability - festinating gait i.e. difficulty initiating gait and once mobile, rapid short steps with accelerating speed, often with a stooped, forward leaning posture
- Hypomimia
- Flexed posture
- Hypophonia
- Micrographia
- Psychiatric symtpoms: Depression (40%), dementia, psychosis
- Smell impaired
- Sleep disorder (RBD)
- Postural hypotension
- Late PD:
- Dysphagia
- Falls
- Speech dysfunction
- Urinary incontinence
- Constipation
Which symptoms appear first in Parkinson’s disease; motor or non-motor?
Non-motor features
e.g. constipation, RBD, depression, hyposmia (↓ smell)
What are the key features of essential tremor?
- Familial - autosomal dominant
- Postural tremor - worse if arms outstretched
- Symmetrical - e.g. both upper limbs
- Improves with alcohol + rest
- NO bradykinesia!!
Tremors can be categorised based on when they are worst - for the following are they worse at: rest, on movement or intention
- Parkinsonism
- Dystonic tremor
- Exaggerated phsyiological tremor
- Hyperthyroidism
- Essential tremor
- Drug induced tremor
- Cerebellar disorders
Worse at rest:
- Parkinsonism
Worse on movement:
- Dystonic tremor
- Exaggerated phsyiological tremor
- Hyperthyroidism
- Essential tremor
- Drug induced tremor
Worse on intention:
- Cerebellar disorders
What is an intention temor?
A coarse tremor which increases in amplitude as an extremity approaches the endpoint of deliberate and visually guided movement (temor is often perpendicular to the direction of movement)
E.g. worsens when trying to pick up a pen
How can an essential temor be managed?
Often it doesn’t require management
- Propranolol = 1st line - can ↓ tremor
What are the distinctive features and management of vascular parkinsonism?
Features:
- Predominantly affects lower limbs
- Tremor less common
- Lower limb rigidity
- Hypomimia
Management:
- ~ 50% respond to levodopa
What are the distinctive features and management of dementia with Lewy bodies?
Features:
- Triad:
- Dementia
- Parkinsonism
- Visual hallucinations (may have other features such as delusions)
- Fluctuations in alertness
- Disorders of REM sleep
Diagnosis:
- Clinical Hx
- SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) - commercially called DaTscan, 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity
Management:
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors e.g donepezil, rivastigmine
- Memantine (?NMDA-receptor blocker)