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I do not understand why it is so often said that "catching it early is key," as if there were a treatment that, if administered early, would make an enormous difference in the outcome. Thus far, I'm aware of only one drug, Azilect, which seems to have demonstrated some neuroprotective properties that diminish the later the drug is administered. Am I missing something? I think a year or two ago, a team at NY Beth Israel identified a marker for PD that shows up in a blood test, yet to my knowledge there has been no rush to early screening. The down sides to being identified early as having PD (e.g., diminished insurability and employability) may outweigh the possible benefits. As someone with young adult children, these issues seem very pressing to me. Kathleen 2009/2/11 rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> > New ways doctors are diagnosing Parkinson's disease > 02:28 PM PST on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 > By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News > Every nine minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with Parkinson's > disease. It's a neurological disorder that starts as a tremor and ends in > death. > Catching it early is key. Now there are several new ways doctors are > diagnosing it. > The key to helping people with Parkinson's: diagnose it before symptoms > show. That's hard to do. > Weill Cornell Medical College neurologist Dr. Flint Beal says 10 percent of > patients are misdiagnosed. That's why he created a blood test. > "It relies on measuring a large number of chemicals in the blood," said > Beal. > Comparing blood samples of 66 Parkinson's patients against healthy blood > samples, compounds emerged that were specific to Parkinson's patients. > Margie Chamberlain is relying on a smell test. Georgia researchers are > using the test to help diagnose the disease early. People with a normal > sense of smell can identify 35 out of 40 smells - people with Parkinson's, > less than 20. > Researchers in Japan are testing eye drops made of cocaine to diagnose > Parkinson's. When 38 patients were given a five percent cocaine solution, > their eyes dilated less than those without the disease, proving the > Parkinson's patients had lost nerve function in their eyes. > A skin test for Parkinson's is also in clinical trials. > Researchers hope what they're doing now will spare others the pain of > Parkinson's in the future. > The National Parkinson Foundation says patients may experience initial > symptoms for a year or more before they seek medical attention. > > Rayilyn Brown > Director AZNPF > Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation > [log in to unmask] > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto: > [log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn