Stages of Parkinson's Disease — Conclusion

Measuring progression and Parkinson’s disease stages

To figure out a patient’s stage of Parkinson’s disease, doctors often refer to one or two rating scales designed to measure PD progression. The scales are based primarily on the severity of impaired movement and how much Parkinson’s interferes with daily activities.

The Hoehn and Yahr scale is a commonly used system for describing Parkinson's disease progression, using a simple rating scale first introduced in 1967. Doctors rate individual motor symptoms on a scale of 1 to 5:

• 1 and 2 represent early-stage symptoms
• 2 and 3 indicate mid-stage symptoms
• 4 and 5 means there is advanced, late-stage Parkinson’s disease

Doctors also often use the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), a more comprehensive scale that factors in non-motor symptoms, including social interaction problems, mood swings, memory loss, and other mental functioning problems. The UPDRS notes how much difficulty PD patients have in carrying out their daily routines, too.

How knowing the stages of Parkinson’s disease can help patients

If you or someone you know has PD, knowing the typical stages of Parkinson’s disease can help you cope with changes as they occur. It’s important, however, to understand symptoms and disease progression are unique to each person. Some PD patients experience multiple Parkinson’s disease symptoms and others don’t. For example, one person may have a tremor but not balance problems.

What’s more, it may take 20 years or longer for a PD patient to progress through the stages of Parkinson’s disease, while others experience a fast progression. And even though symptoms do worsen over time, some patients with Parkinson’s disease have symptoms that never progress to stage five, according to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

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