Can Parkinson's be diagnosed by only one symptom?

A fellow caregiver asked...

I had hoarseness periodically for three months. I went to an ENT doctor. He said he saw a tremor of the vocal cords. He diagnosed Parkinson's. I said is this possible with one symptom? He said yes. He did a nasal test. A flexible tube was put down my nose with a camera. My question is do you agree with this ENT? Is it possible to be diagnosed like this?

Expert Answer

Graham A. Glass, MD, is the co-founder of PEAK Neurology and Sleep Medicine, LLC with multiple locations across Alaska. Previously, he was deputy director of the San Francisco Parkinson's Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Care Center PADRECC and assistant clinical professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Glass received his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at the San Antonio School of Medicine and completed his neurology residency at Tufts-New England Medical Center. He subsequently completed a fellowship in movement disorders at the Mayo Clinic.

When diagnosing Parkinson's Disease, two of four cardinal features (rigidity or stiffness, tremor, bradykinesia (slowness of movement) and postural instability) must be present. That being said, there are often cases when we strongly suspect Parkinson's disease based on other symptoms. I would suggest that you ask for a referral to a movement disorders specialist or a neurologist that has extensive Parkinson's disease experience for a second opinion.