Long-term essential tremor and Parkinson's disease: differential diagnosis
DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2025-9-11-6
V.N. Grigorieva, E.V. Guzanova, K.M. Chekunova
Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation
Essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are common neurodegenerative motor neurological disorders. It is quite difficult to distinguish early PD from ET. However, differential diagnosis of these diseases is very important due to significant differences between treatment strategies and prognosis. The major diagnostic issues are reported in PD patients with a history of long-term ET (especially, in those with ET-plus when other mild neurological symptoms are associated with postural and kinetic tremor specific for the disease). The diagnosis verification is based on the criteria developed by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. The paper briefly describes the key clinical and anamnestic signs providing differentiation between ET, ET-plus and PD, as well as it lists instrumental and laboratory diagnostic methods whose results can be used to differentiate these diseases. The authors' own clinical case report demonstrates importance of clinical data for diagnosis of PD in a patient with a history of long-term ET.
Keywords: essential tremor, essential tremor-plus, Parkinson's disease, clinical criteria, tremor classification, differential diagnosis.
For citation: Grigorieva V.N., Guzanova E.V., Chekunova K.M. Long-term essential tremor and Parkinson's disease: differential diagnosis. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2025;9(11):810–816 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2025-9-11-6
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Vera N. Grigorieva — Dr. Sc. (Med.), Professor, Head of the Department of Nervous Diseases, Privolzhsky Research Medical University; 10/1, Minin and Pozharsky sq., Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0002-6256-3429
Elena V. Guzanova — C. Sc. (Med.), Assistant Professor of the Department of Nervous Diseases, Privolzhsky Research Medical University; 10/1, Minin and Pozharsky sq., Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0000-0003-3127-8489
Ksenia M. Chekunova — Resident of the Department of Nervous Diseases, Privolzhsky Research Medical University; 10/1, Minin and Pozharsky sq., Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russian Federation; ORCID iD 0009-0000-1954-6941
Contact information: Elena V. Guzanova, e-mail: el.guzanova@yandex.ru
Financial Disclosure: no authors have a financial or property interest in any material or method mentioned.
There is no conflict of interest.
Received 11.08.2025.
Revised 03.09.2025.
Accepted 26.09.2025.
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