Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00560:reg:7
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00560
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 7
Character Range: 1680–4395

7               Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates
(1)          This Statement of Principles is about Parkinson's disease and secondary parkinsonism and death from Parkinson's disease and secondary parkinsonism.
Meaning of Parkinson's disease
(2)          For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, Parkinson's disease means a neurodegenerative disease involving the progressive failure of dopaminergic transmission in the nigrostriatal system of the basal ganglia, which:
            (a)          is characterised clinically by:
(i)            the presence of bradykinesia, muscular rigidity, a resting tremor and postural instability;
(ii)         symptoms which may gradually progress;
(iii)       a sustained response to therapy with levodopa; and
(iv)        non-motor symptoms including sleep, mood and autonomic disturbances; and
            (b)          is characterised pathologically by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the presence of alpha-synuclein-associated Lewy bodies or Lewy neurite intracellular inclusions at widespread locations in the central and peripheral nervous system; and
            (c)          excludes secondary parkinsonism, parkinsonism in other primary neurodegenerative diseases and Parkinson plus diseases including dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, frontotemporal dementia and corticobasal degeneration.
Meaning of secondary parkinsonism
(3)          For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, secondary parkinsonism means an acquired movement disorder caused by exogenous factors that interfere with dopaminergic transmission in the nigrostriatal system of the basal ganglia, which:
            (a)          is characterised clinically by the presence of bradykinesia, muscular rigidity, a resting tremor and postural instability; and
            (b)          excludes Parkinson's disease, dementia pugilistica, non-parkinsonian tremors such as benign essential tremor, psychogenic parkinsonism, parkinsonism in primary neurodegenerative diseases and Parkinson plus diseases including dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, frontotemporal dementia and corticobasal degeneration.
Death from Parkinson's disease and secondary parkinsonism
(4)          For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, Parkinson's disease or secondary parkinsonism, in relation to a person, includes death from a terminal event or condition that was contributed to by the person's Parkinson's disease or secondary parkinsonism.
Note: terminal event is defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.