Misdiagnosed Parkinson’s disease costing taxpayer £2.5 million

By Rory Reynolds

THOUSANDS of patients with Parkinson’s disease are being misdiagnosed, costing the taxpayer £2.5million every year in bungled medication, according to a new study by Scots doctors.

Researchers at the Southern General in Glasgow have revealed that up to 6,300 patients in the UK suffering from little more than stiffness or hand tremors could have been diagnosed wrongly by GPs.

The authors of the Institute of Neurological Science report have said that as well as the sheer cost of mistakes, patients are not being treated for their actual health disorders.

Dr Kieran Breen from the Parkinson’s Disease Society, and one of the authors of the study said: “Some GPs take tremors as the main indication but only 70 per cent of sufferers have tremors.

“The patients should be referred to neurologists with more expertise and they will make a much more accurate diagnosis.