Misdiagnosis Common in Parkinsonian Disorders

Autopsy-confirmed findings linked diagnostic errors, co-pathology, and genetic variation to distinct pathologic patterns across more than 3,300 donors with Parkinsonian disorders.

By
Andrea Surnit
June 8, 2026
4 min

Conexiant

Objective:

To investigate the rates of clinical misdiagnosis in Parkinsonian disorders and the factors influencing diagnostic accuracy.

Key Findings:

Misdiagnosis rates ranged from approximately 10% to 20% across Parkinsonian disorders.
Clinical diagnoses of Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies corresponded with underlying Lewy body pathology in 92% of cases.
Donors with dementia-associated parkinsonism were nearly twice as likely to have Lewy body pathology compared to those with Parkinson's disease without dementia.
Autopsy findings in patients diagnosed with corticobasal syndrome frequently revealed other pathologies such as progressive supranuclear palsy.
40% of patients with Lewy body disease had coexisting Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Interpretation:

Clinical features alone do not fully capture the biological heterogeneity of Parkinsonian disorders, indicating the need for improved diagnostic approaches.