Parkinson’s Disease vs. Parkinsonism: How the Symptoms Differ

Jun 25, 2026

Medically reviewed by Heidi Moawad, M.D. — Written by Rachael Zimlich, RN, BSN — Updated on February 19, 2026

Key takeaways

  • Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that involves reduced dopamine levels.
  • Parkinsonism is a broad term describing conditions that involve movement symptoms such as slowness of movement, rigidity, and tremor. Sometimes, Parkinson’s disease is defined as a type of parkinsonism.
  • While Parkinson’s disease typically develops gradually due to genetic and environmental factors, other types of parkinsonism can have sudden onset and may be caused by strokes, brain injuries, infections, or certain medications.

Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism are both characterized by tremors, stiffness, and movement problems.

However, there are subtle differences that doctors can use to tell whether the symptoms are due to Parkinson’s disease or parkinsonism.

In this article, we discuss the difference between Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism, diagnosis, and management.

Parkinsonism vs. Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder where damage to neurons leads to a decrease in neurotransmitters like dopamine. Symptoms may include movement problems, tremors, depression, and communication issues.

Parkinsonism is an umbrella term for a group of conditions that cause tremors, slow movement, and stiffness.

Other conditions and events that may produce symptoms of parkinsonism include:

  • certain medications
  • brain tumors
  • certain brain infections
  • stroke/vascular parkinsonism
  • head trauma
  • metabolic conditions
  • toxins
  • atypical parkinsonisms

Atypical parkinsonisms, which used to be defined as Parkinson’s plus, are neurodegenerative conditions that cause movement symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease along with additional symptoms that are not necessarily part of Parkinson’s disease.

Common atypical parkinsonisms include multi-system atrophy (MSA), Lewy body dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration.

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