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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffThe characteristic signs and symptoms of progressive supranuclear palsy include:
- A loss of balance while walking. You'll likely have a greater tendency to fall backward, not forward. This can occur very early on in the disease.
- An inability to aim your eyes properly. This is particularly true when looking downward, or may occur as a blurring or doubling of vision. This difficulty focusing the eyes can make some people appear disinterested in conversation because of poor eye contact.
Additional signs and symptoms of progressive supranuclear palsy vary from person to person, and may mimic those of Parkinson's disease and dementia. These can include:
- Stiffness
- Awkward movements
- Falling
- Problems with speech and swallowing
- Irritability
- Loss of interest in pleasurable activities (apathy)
- Anxiety
- Laughing or crying for no reason
- Forgetfulness
True to its name, the signs and symptoms of progressive supranuclear palsy tend to become progressively worse as the disease advances.
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience signs and symptoms of progressive supranuclear palsy.
- NINDS progressive supranuclear palsy information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/psp/psp_htm?css=print. Accessed Dec. 4, 2008.
- Progressive supranuclear palsy fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/psp/detail_psp.htm?css=print. Accessed Dec. 4, 2008.
- Karceski S. Progressive supranuclear palsy. Neurology. 2008;71:e70.
- Borroni B, et al. Tau forms in CSF as a reliable biomarker for progressive supranuclear palsy. Neurology. 2008;71:1796.
- PSP: Some answers. Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. http://www.psp.org/doc_library/1217970611/Some%20Answers.pdf. Accessed Jan.18, 2009.
- Treatments for progressive supranuclear palsy. Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement Disorders. http://www.wemove.org/psp/psp_tre.html. Accessed Dec. 4, 2008.
- Josephs KA, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of progressive supranuclear palsy in the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy brain bank. Movement Disorders. 2003;18:1018.
- Josephs, KA. (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 21, 2009.
