Study tests automated stage discrimination of Parkinson's disease

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Jun 26 2020

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. In this research article the authors Vered Aharonson, Nabeel Seedat, Simon Israeli-Korn, Sharon Hassin-Baer, Michiel Postema and Gilad Yahalom from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering, Tel Aviv, Israel, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel and Tel Aviv University, Israel consider automated stage discrimination of Parkinson's Disease.

Treatment plans for Parkinson's disease (PD) are based on a disease stage scale, which is generally determined using a manual, observational procedure. Automated, sensor-based discrimination saves costs in clinical settings and may offer augmented stage determination accuracy. Previous automated devices were either cumbersome or costly and were not suitable for individuals who cannot walk without support.

Since 2017, a device has been available that successfully detects PD and operates for people who cannot walk without support. In this study, the suitability of this device for automated discrimination of PD stages was tested. The authors conclude that stage discrimination of PD can be automated, even in patients who cannot support themselves. A similar method might also be successfully applied to other gait disorders BIO Integration is fully open access journal which will allow for the rapid dissemination of multidisciplinary views driving the progress of modern medicine.