Q: My husband has intermittent mild tremors, intermittent short term memory loss, intermittent leg muscle weakness, intermittent confusion, and intermittent violent dreams. Could this be Parkinson's disease?

THS

A: The symptoms that you mentioned do indicate the possibility of Parkinson's disease.  The diagnosis is based on the medical history, neurological examination and response to medication if needed.  Patients with classical Parkinson's disease will usually have a normal brain CT or MRI.  I would recommend evaluation by a neurologist since the symptoms could also potentially be due to a number of other causes.  An incomplete list would include medication side effects, a metabolic problem such as thyroid disease and exposure to certain chemicals or heavy metals. Since he has had normal brain imaging studies, then structural changes to the brain by stroke or brain tumor have been excluded.  Approximately 20-30% of patients with Parkinson's disease will have associated dementia which would also indicate the need for a neurological evaluation.
 
The most intriguing part of your question is the intermittent violent dreams.  There are a number of sleep related disturbances associated with Parkinson's disease.  The most significant is REM sleep behavior disorder that results in violent actions during a violent dream.  This condition can be diagnosed by an overnight sleep study.