About 10 percent of people with parkinsonism, a collection of symptoms that includes tremors, slow movement, impaired speech, and muscle stiffness, have one of three progressive neurodegenerative disorders called atypical Parkinson's or Parkinson's Plus Syndromes. These rare disorders affect the nerves that control walking, balance, mobility, vision, speech, and swallowing. The diseases progress faster in general than Parkinson's disease, and people often have more difficulty with thought processes than with true Parkinson's disease. The disorders are:
- Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
- Multiple system atrophy (MSA) (previously called either striatonigral degeneration, sporadic olivopontocerebellar atrophy, or Shy-Drager syndrome)
- Corticobasal degeneration (CBD)
The symptoms of PSP, MSA, and CDB are very similar to those of Parkinson's disease, and diagnosing them all correctly can be challenging.
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