POSTED: 4:31 pm MST February 14, 2012

UPDATED: 4:59 pm MST February 14, 2012

LOS ANGELES -- More than one million Americans are living with Parkinson's disease. Right now, doctors diagnose it by conducting a physical exam that?s often unreliable, but that?s about to change.William used to be a professional welterweight fighter. Today, he?s fighting a different yet powerful opponent, Parkinson?s disease."I got Parkinson?s, Parkinson?s ain?t got me," William "Tank" Hill, a former boxer said. Debora Bergstrom is also battling the condition that causes tremors, balance problems and speech issues. The mom of three was diagnosed four years ago by a neurologist."She told me to stand up, walk, she rotated my arms and hands, and she said, yes, you have Parkinson's," Debora Bergstrom said.Many people wait years before getting that diagnosis. Doctors physically examine patients for the telltale symptoms to formulate their conclusion, but their observations aren?t always accurate.Forty percent of Parkinson?s patients are undiagnosed and at least 10 percent who are diagnosed don?t really have it. Doctor Louise Thomson says a new imaging test called DATscan is giving doctors a glimpse inside the Parkinson?s brain. First, doctors inject patients with a tracer. Then they scan the brain for dopamine, a chemical that Parkinson?s patients lack.Thomson says the test can tell doctors if the patient has Parkinson?s or just a tremor disorder, which is treated differently"This is a game changer. It?s going to lead to earlier diagnosis and clearer diagnosis for patients with tremors," Doctor Louise Thomson, MBChB, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center explained.An earlier diagnosis means patients can start treatments sooner, potentially slowing symptom development of this devastating disease. For William and Debora, every symptom-free day matters. Now , doctors are one step closer to figuring that out. The following are comments from our users. Opinions expressed are neither created nor endorsed by TheDenverChannel.com. By posting a comment you agree to accept our Terms of Use. Comments are moderated by the community. To report an offensive or otherwise inappropriate comment, click the "Flag" link that appears beneath that comment. Comments that are flagged by a set number of users will be automatically removed.

See the article here:
Medical Breakthrough: First Test To Show Parkinson's Disease