Re: Parkinson Disease, is it related to the neurologic disorder?

[Guest guest]

Zenaida,

You asked about the relationship between Parkinson's Disease and CMT.

I'm not sure there is any. However, I think Parkinson's Disease may

be quite a bit more common than CMT (haven't checked the data on

this) and therefore many more people are familiar with it and may

mistake some of our CMT symptom's for Parkinson's.

I get asked occasionally if I have Parkinson's but no one ever asks me if I have

CMT. Also, I think that people in past generations may have been misdiagnosed.

My grandmother said her doctor told her she had Parkinson's Disease (her doctor

was a physician in a very small community) and she was treated for Parkinson's,

unsuccessfully.

However, the symptoms I saw that she had were all symptoms related to

CMT. Then my mother developed symptoms (much later than I did). Mom's

symptoms were similar to my grandmother's symptoms as she got older,

and even though Mom knew that I (her own daughter) had something

called CMT, my mother continued to tell everyone, especially new

physicians she saw, that she had Parkinson's.

I don't think any doctor gave her that diagnosis. She wouldn't tell me what the

doctor said she actually had. So I believe there is a fair amount of confusion

between the two disorders, in terms of public perceptions.

Maybe this is a ramble, but maybe it'll comfort you about the

confusion.

Sherry