26% of people living with Parkinson’s Disease were initially misdiagnosed

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Parkinson’s Awareness Week is here to highlight symptoms of the condition, as figures show that more than a quarter of people living with the condition were initially misdiagnosed.

Parkinson’s Disease is a degenerative neurological condition which affects both physical and psychological health. At present, there is no cure, but treatments are available to help ease symptoms and slow down the progression of disease.

Initially misdiagnosed

Concerningly, Parkinson’s Disease is commonly misrecognised by doctors, as research conducted by Parkinson’s UK found that of 2,000 people questioned, 26% found that they were initially diagnosed with a different medical condition.

Of the people that were initially misdiagnosed, almost half received treatment for the incorrect condition, with 36% receiving medication and 6% undergoing an operation or procedure unnecessarily. Six percent of people underwent both surgery and incorrect medication.

A Parkinson’s UK report of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) using primary care data found about 137,000 people are living with Parkinson’s disease in the UK.

We have broken down everything you need to know about Parkinson’s Disease and what you need to do to pursue a misdiagnosis claim.

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurological disorder that impacts the brain and beyond, progressing over time. It involves the gradual loss of nerve cells in the substantia nigra, a region in the basal ganglia deep within the brain responsible for regulating voluntary movements.

These cells produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial for transmitting messages from the brain to the body via the central nervous system. As dopamine levels decrease due to cell loss, communication disruptions occur, leading to movement difficulties.

While Parkinson’s is more commonly associated with older individuals, it can manifest at any age, with numerous cases diagnosed in individuals under 40. Although it affects both genders, it appears to be slightly more prevalent in men.

What are the first signs of Parkinson disease?

There are many symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease which can affect people differently. The severity of symptoms can also vary in person to person and can include both physical and mental changes.

The order in which these develop and their severity is different for each individual.

It’s unlikely that a person with Parkinson’s disease would experience all or most of these.

Parkinson’s Disease tremor – shaking, which usually begins in the hand or arm and is more likely to occur when the limb is relaxed and resting
slowness of movement (bradykinesia) – physical movements are much slower than normal, which can make everyday tasks difficult and result in a distinctive slow, shuffling walk with very small steps
muscle stiffness (rigidity) – stiffness and tension in the muscles, which can make it difficult to move around and make facial expressions, and can result in painful muscle cramps (dystonia)

Other Parkinson’s disease symptoms

Parkinson’s disease can also cause a range of other physical and mental symptoms:

Physical symptoms

Balance problems – these can make someone with the condition more likely to have a fall and injure themselves
Loss of sense of smell (anosmia) – sometimes occurs several years before other symptoms develop
Nerve pain – can cause unpleasant sensations, such as burning, coldness or numbness
Problems with peeing – such as having to get up frequently during the night to pee or unintentionally peeing (urinary incontinence)
Constipation
An inability to obtain or sustain an erection (erectile dysfunction) in men
Difficulty becoming sexually aroused and achieving an orgasm (sexual dysfunction) in women
Dizziness, blurred vision or fainting when moving from a sitting or lying position to a standing one – caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure
Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) – this can lead to malnutrition and dehydration
Excessive production of saliva (drooling)
Problems sleeping (insomnia) – this can result in excessive sleepiness during the day

Cognitive and psychiatric symptoms

Depression and anxiety
Mild cognitive impairment – slight memory problems and problems with activities that require planning and organisation
Dementia – A group of symptoms, including more severe memory problems, personality changes, seeing things that are not there (visual hallucinations) and believing things that are not true (delusions)

Parkinson’s Disease – Common misdiagnosis

Parkinson’s Disease is commonly misdiagnosed as a number of other conditions.

We have rounded-up what Parkinson’s Disease sufferers have previously been misdiagnosed with.

Multiple sclerosis

In a survey carried out by Parkinson’s Disease.net, one of the most common conditions that people were misdiagnosed with was multiple sclerosis (MS).

Although these conditions can both have an effect on the central nervous system and frequently cause muscle spasms, balance changes, tremor, and impaired memory they are two separate diagnoses.

One difference is that MS is often diagnosed when someone is in their 20s, while most people receive a PD diagnosis in their 60s. Also, MS is an autoimmune disease that over time causes nerve damage. Parkinson’s affects the brain. The brain starts producing less and less dopamine, which is responsible for controlling movement.

Peripheral neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord are damaged. Muscle contractions are a common physical symptom. In contrast, PD has a variety of physical, mental, and emotional symptoms.

Essential tremor

Essential tremor is a physical condition that causes shaking. However, it does not have other physical effects, nor does it affect a person in other ways. Parkinson’s is a much more far-reaching disease.

Medical misdiagnosis

Medical misdiagnosis (incorrect diagnosis or failure to diagnose) is when a medical professional provides an incorrect diagnosis or fails to diagnosis you after negligently misinterpreting your symptoms and/or not investigating your symptoms appropriately.

If you have received an incorrect diagnosis, you may have undergone unnecessary treatments or procedures. Further to this, particularly in relation to a failure to diagnose, your condition may go untreated, or its treatment may get delayed, meaning that you may require more invasive treatment in the future.

What is a delay in medical misdiagnosis

Here a medical professional fails to a diagnosis a health condition when they should have done or fails to refer you for investigations, meaning you are diagnosed late. This can again lead to a worsening of the condition and prolong your period without necessary treatment.

This can encompass delays in referrals, scans and other investigations. It can also include medical professionals overlooking symptoms or records that are re-reviewed at a later date and urgently acted upon once the delay has been identified.

Where can medical misdiagnosis occur?

Medical misdiagnosis and/or delay can occur in all areas of medical practice. However, are very common in the following settings:

How to make a medical misdiagnosis claim?

If you feel that you have been affected as a result of late diagnosis or incorrect or inappropriate treatment, then you may be entitled to bring about a claim for compensation.

The team at Oakwood Solicitors Ltd will be able to give you free advice on the prospects of your case and whether you would be eligible to make a claim.

How much is my claim worth?

It is often difficult to value clinical negligence claims at their outset given the complexities involved however we will pursue two forms of compensation for you:

General damages – An award of money for the pain and suffering you have endured as a result of the negligence.
Special damages – An award of money for all of your out of pocket expenses such as travel expenses, medication costs, loss of earnings, treatment costs both past and future. This list is not exhaustive and is very case-specific.