Letters to the Editor: Unrecognized Parkinsonism In Acute Care Medical Patients Receiving Neurological Consultations

We had observed that parkinsonism, especially without tremor, was frequently unrecognized and, therefore, often not considered when patients were admitted to the hospital after a fall. This led to our interest in the problem of underdiagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and related disorders. Our interest grew further with our work on elderly patients with behavioral problems who were treated with antipsychotic drugs. Although the newer ‘‘atypical’’ antipsychotic agents are ‘‘relatively’’ free of parkinsonian side effects, some induce or worsen preexistent parkinsonism (1), leading to falls, with the mechanism of the worsening gait not evident to the caregivers. Fall is the leading cause of death from injury in 94 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR