Parkinson's disease – pathology, aetiology and diagnosis

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition. There is an increasing incidence and prevalence with advancing age and more cases are predicted as the population ages. Because of likely differing aetiology, genetics and pathology in individual patients, as well as confounding co-morbidities, diagnosis can be difficult even for specialists. We present an overview of the pathology, aetiology and differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in older people. The importance of specialist medical input in diagnosis is emphasized.