General

This Smartwatch-based Monitoring System May Help Patients With Parkinson’s Disease

NewsGram Desk

A monitoring system based on commercial smartwatches has been developed that can detect movement issues and tremors in patients with Parkinson's disease, researchers say.

The findings, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggest the platform could allow clinicians to remotely monitor the progression of a patient's condition and adjust medication plans accordingly to improve outcomes.

Parkinson's disease is marked by a breakdown of involuntary movement (dyskinesia) and the appearance of tremors, which severely detract from a patient's quality of life.

Please Follow NewsGram on Facebook To Get Latest Updates!

"These symptoms can be treated with medications, but patients respond best if clinicians can precisely titrate and change drug regimens to match the severity of symptoms," said the researchers, including one of Indian-origin Adeeti V. Ullal, Senior Manager, Motion Health Technologies, Apple.

"However, clinicians currently base their assessments of patients on infrequent clinical visits that fail to capture subtle changes in symptoms," they added.

The team tackled this issue with their Motor fluctuations Monitor for Parkinson's Disease (MM4PD) — a collection of algorithms that uses smartwatch sensors to capture daily fluctuations in the wearer's movement patterns.

A monitoring system based on commercial smartwatches has been developed that can detect movement issues and tremors in patients with Parkinson's disease, researchers say. Unsplash

The system identified patterns in the severity of tremors and dyskinesia over six months when worn by 225 patients and detected changes in symptoms that clinicians noted might be missed in traditional evaluations.

Furthermore, MM4PD recorded signs of emerging tremors and impairments, which may require changes in medication schedules to treat properly, the team said.

For the study, the system was tested in a study involving 343 patients — including 225 who the researchers followed for six months.

The system gave evaluations that matched a clinician's estimates in 94 percent of the subjects. (IANS)

How to Store Vape Juice in Good Condition

Book Your Airport Taxi Limo Service Today for a Smooth and Stylish Arrival

American Children Who Appear to Recall Past-Life Memories Grow Up to Be Well-Adjusted Adults

In the ‘Wild West’ of AI Chatbots, Subtle Biases Related to Race and Caste Often Go Unchecked

Future of Education with Neuro-Symbolic AI Agents in Self-Improving Adaptive Instructional Systems