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World MSA Day Highlights Rare Disorder Mimicking Parkinson’s Disease
Multiple System Atrophy, or MSA, is a rare disease that affects the brain and body.
It can look like Parkinson’s disease because it may cause stiffness, slow movement, and balance problems.
MSA can also affect automatic body functions, such as blood pressure and bladder control.
Some people may feel dizzy or nearly faint when they stand up.
Doctors diagnose MSA by studying symptoms, examining the nervous system, and observing how the condition changes over time.
No single blood test or brain scan can confirm it while a person is alive.
There is currently no cure that stops or reverses the disease.
Medicines, therapy, and safety strategies can help people manage symptoms and stay independent.
A 65-year-old Mumbai woman initially suspected of having Parkinson’s disease was later diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy.
MSA affects movement and the autonomic nervous system, which controls functions such as blood pressure, bladder and bowel activity.
Symptoms may include stiffness, slowness, balance problems, falls, dizziness on standing, urinary difficulties, and speech or swallowing changes.
There is no established cure or single test that confirms MSA during life; diagnosis is primarily clinical, with MRI sometimes providing supporting evidence.
Treatment focuses on symptom control, maintaining independence, and supportive care including physiotherapy and fall-prevention strategies.
- Who
- Doctors, including Dr Sheetal Goyal of Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central, and people living with Multiple System Atrophy.
- What
- World MSA Day is raising awareness of Multiple System Atrophy, a rare progressive neurological disorder that can resemble Parkinson’s disease.
- Where
- The report focuses on Mumbai and notes that cases have also been reported in Maharashtra.
- When
- World MSA Day is observed on October 3; the report is dated October 2, 2026.
- Why
- To improve recognition and early neurological assessment of MSA, whose movement and autonomic symptoms can be difficult to distinguish from other conditions.
Key facts
- Condition
- Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
- Awareness day
- October 3
- Main systems affected
- Movement and the autonomic nervous system
- Common autonomic symptoms
- Dizziness or fainting on standing, urinary problems, and bowel or sexual-function issues
- Diagnosis
- Primarily clinical; brain MRI may provide supportive findings in some patients
- Cure
- No established cure currently stops or reverses the underlying neurodegenerative process
- Care
- Symptom-management medicines, physiotherapy, speech and swallowing therapy, occupational therapy, and fall-prevention strategies
Quotes
Dr Sheetal Goyal
Consultant Neurologist at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central
“Multiple System Atrophy is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement as well as the autonomic nervous system. Depending on which symptoms dominate, it may present as MSA-P, with Parkinsonism-like features, or MSA-C, where coordination and balance problems are more prominent.”
freepressjournal.in
“There is no single blood test or scan that confirms MSA during life. Diagnosis is primarily clinical and involves a detailed neurological examination, assessment of autonomic symptoms and evaluation of how the condition progresses. Brain MRI can provide supportive findings in some patients.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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