Juvenile parkinsonism treated with levodopa

We describe three patients with early onset of parkinsonism. Two of these were sisters and showed a reduction in homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) levels in the CSF. In the third patient, parkinsonism developed, which was probably related to chickenpox encephalitis. All three patients responed favorably to levodopa therapy.