The Skin Speaks First: Uncovering the Early Diagnostic Potential of Parkinson’s Disease Through Dermatological Manifestations

Parkinson disease has potential non-motor diagnosis factors beyond the primary motor symptoms (such as bradykinesia, rigidity, or resting tremor) that are easy to overlook. Many patients also experience non-motor symptoms, which can show up years before the motor manifestations. Some of the symptoms that occur in the "non-motor" category associated with PD are skin-related symptoms. Research suggests that up to 98.6% of people with Parkinson’s report some form of skin manifestation. These signs might not just be side effects but instead, could be early clues. This objective of this review is to explore whether certain common skin conditions in PD, like seborrheic dermatitis and melanoma, could help us with determining the diagnosis of an underlying undetected Parkinson's disease sooner, by utilizing simple non- invasive applications.