title: Symptoms and duration of the prodromal phase in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: To investigate the duration of a prodromal phase before the onset of the classic symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, the authors conducted a retrospective case-control study of 60 patients with Parkinson's disease and 58 age- and sex-matched control subjects, covering the decade preceding the onset of classic Parkinson's disease. The symptoms were derived from files of the patients' general practitioners. Compared with control subjects, patients pre-Parkinson's disease had more central nervous system, psychologic, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular (i.e., autonomic) symptoms. Patients pre-Parkinson's disease also made more visits to general practitioners and medical specialists. The results indicate that the onset of classic parkinsonism is frequently preceded by a prodromal phase lasting from 4-6 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Gonera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van't Hof
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Weel
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Horstink
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies