Some clinical aspects of late onset parkinsonism.
Thirty-six parkinsonian patients were selected by age of onset of over 70 and a minimum of five years duration of illness. The mean age of onset was 73.5 years and 30 patients were still alive after a mean of 7.2 years. We found that late onset Parkinson's disease has a relatively benign course with more "axial symptoms" especially dysarthria, freezing and postural instability. Dyskinesias and fluctuations are rare and dementia occurs in few patients in spite of their old age.
Petit
H
H
Department of Clinical Neurology, Hôpital B, Lille, France.
Vermersch
P
P
Pasquier
F
F
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*