Clinical diagnostic criteria

Abstract

The diagnosis of MSA represents a major challenge in movement disorders clinics. In early disease stages, the parkinsonian variant of MSA (MSA-P) may be indistinguishable from idiopathic PD, whereas in more advanced stages, features overlapping with the clinical presentation of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) may be also present in MSA. Also, inherited (like late onset atypical Friedreich’s ataxia, spinocerebellar ataxias 2,3 or 6 without an obvious family history) or acquired causes of late-onset cerebellar ataxia need to be ruled out to diagnose cerebellar MSA (MSA-C).