I do not have idiopathic Parkinson's disease

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NEUROLOGY 2004;62:1224-1226
© 2004 American Academy of Neurology

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Brief Communications

Olfaction differentiates parkin disease from early-onset parkinsonism and Parkinson disease
N. L. Khan, MD MRCP, R. Katzenschlager, MD, H. Watt, MSc, K. P. Bhatia, MD FRCP, N. W. Wood, MD PhD, FRCP, N. Quinn, MD FRCP and A. J. Lees, MD FRCP
From the Department of Molecular Neurosciences (Drs. Khan, Wood, and Lees) and Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders (Drs. Bhatia and Quinn), Institute of Neurology, Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies (Drs. Katzenschlager and Lees), Royal Free Hospital and University College Medical School, and Department of Statistics (H. Watt), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University College London, UK.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. A.J. Lees, Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies, Royal Free Hospital and University College Medical School, Windeyer Bldg., 46 Cleveland St., London W1P 6DB, UK; e-mail: a.lees@ion.ucl.ac.uk

The authors studied whether olfactory dysfunction is present in parkin disease using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). The mean UPSIT score in parkin patients was 27.3 (95% CI 24.4 to 30.2). This did not differ from the normal group mean of 29.4 (95% CI 28.0 to 30.7; p = 0.22) but was higher than the Parkinson disease group (mean 14.3; 95% CI 12.2 to 19.5; p < 0.0001) and the parkin-negative group (mean 17.1; 95% CI 14.8 to 16.3; p < 0.0001) values. Parkin disease may be a distinct and separate entity from Parkinson disease.


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I have Parkin disease.

Also, in the journal, "Brain," April 24, 2002, The article name, "Progression of nigrostriatal dysfuntion in a Parkin kindred: an [F]dopa PET and clinical study," London, UK.

The Introduction reads:

"Autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism is a distinct clinical and genetic entity first described by Japan in 1973. It is characterized by dystonia at onset, hyperreflexia, early complications from levodopa treatment (in contrast to dopa-repsonsive dystonia) and slow progression.

Neuropathology of Parkin cases is limited but, in cases that have been reported, there was a severe and generalized loss of dopaminergic neurones in the substantia nigra pars compacta without Lewy body inclusions, implying that parkin disease is a pathological entity separate from idiopaathic Parkinson's disease with overlapping clinical features."

Vicky