Laura,
In my case, I have no family history of tremor. I think my PD is not atypical although my main complain (after 3 and half years of diagnosis) is a mild tremor, loss of short term memory and small handwriting).
I think the other typical symptoms are a bit delayed by my severe exercise routine which I follow.
Having said this, it is still my belief that PD includes a spectrum of diseases caused by degrees of damage in many parts of the brain and it is much more than Dopamine loss.
I sincerely hope that in your case, it is a mild version of PD or ET and I am sorry for myself for not qualifying to the above research criterion for being atypical PD. Good luck.
Imad
Quote:
Originally Posted by Conductor71
Hi Imad,
Wow! This really hits home! Like you, I am tremor dominant, but I also have a family history of tremor (father and grandfather). Do you find that you have atypical PD things going on as well? I do not have many of the targeted biomarkers like loss of smell or REM Sleep Disorder. I also have atypical PD tremor. I was diagnosed with ET for six years before my tremor even remotely looked like PD.
How about you? Where do things look different or atypical for you? I have read that people who initiially present with ET are 4-5 times more likely to end up with a PD diagnosis later on. This NY Times article, while not scientific, gives a good overview of the similarities and likely ties between ET and PD. I think all this says is that PD is really a syndrome or spectrum disorder and I wonder if ET is a more benign expression of tremor dominant PD. Keep in mind there is also something identified as Benign Tremulous Parkinsonsism too.
In the final analysis, I find this all so frustrating because I think people like us hold answers but not many researchers want to study us.  It's too bad because we may hold answers for both medical conditions.
Laura |