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54/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 54 out of 100. Getting a diagnosis

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Objective Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder characterised by a large number of motor and non-motor features that can impact on function to a variable degree. This review describes the clinical characteristics of PD with emphasis on those features that differentiate the disease from other parkinsonian disorders. Methods A MedLine search was performed to identify studies that assess the clinical characteristics of PD. Search terms included "Parkinson's disease", "diagnosis" and "signs and symptoms". Results Because there is no definitive test for the diagnosis of PD, the disease must be diagnosed based on clinical criteria. Rest tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity and loss of postural reflexes are generally considered the cardinal signs of PD. The presence and specific presentation of these features are used to differentiate PD from related parkinsonian disorders. Other clinical features include secondary motor symptoms (eg, hypomimia, dysarthria, dysphagia, sialorrhoea, micrographia, shuffling gait, festination, freezing, dystonia, glabellar reflexes), non-motor symptoms (eg, autonomic dysfunction, cognitive/neurobehavioral abnormalities, sleep disorders and sensory abnormalities such as anosmia, paresthesias and pain). Absence of rest tremor, early occurrence of gait difficulty, postural instability, dementia, hallucinations, and the presence of dysautonomia, ophthalmoparesis, ataxia and other atypical features, coupled with poor or no response to levodopa, suggest diagnoses other than PD. Conclusions A thorough understanding of the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations of PD is essential to the proper diagnosis of the disease. Genetic mutations or variants, neuroimaging abnormalities and other tests are potential biomarkers that may improve diagnosis and allow the identification of persons at risk.

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APA 7th

Jankovic, J. (2008). Parkinson's disease: clinical features and diagnosis. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.2007.131045

Vancouver

Jankovic J. Parkinson's disease: clinical features and diagnosis. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. 2008. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.131045. PMID: 18344392.

BibTeX

@article{jankovic2008-18344392,
  author  = {Jankovic, J.},
  title   = {{Parkinson's disease: clinical features and diagnosis}},
  journal = {Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry},
  year    = {2008},
  doi     = {10.1136/jnnp.2007.131045},
  pmid    = {18344392},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.2007.131045}
}

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Key findings

Results Because there is no definitive test for the diagnosis of PD, the disease must be diagnosed based on clinical criteria.

Why it matters

This review describes the clinical features that help distinguish Parkinson's disease from other parkinsonian disorders, noting that because there is no definitive test, the disease must be diagnosed based on clinical criteria. It covers motor and non-motor symptoms used in diagnosis, but does not address treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.

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Study details

Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 54/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry: journal h-index 336 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	1 / 5	2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	7 / 7	Cited 5,714 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	5 / 5	285.7 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008
Impact for its field and year	6 / 6	Cited 65.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 9 other studies in this library
Still being cited	4 / 4	Cited 1,241 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Joseph J. Jankovic: h-index 169 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	Baylor College of Medicine: institution h-index 1,607 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	0 / 3	OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete)
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 18344392)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	54 / 100	—

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