Researchers say smart watches may be able to track and detect changes in people with Parkinson's disease.
Neurologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the US used the Apple Watch to monitor patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease for a year, and found that the smartwatch could detect changes, for example, in gait, tremors and speech. He writes the independent. According to the study authors, smart watches reliably monitored changes in several disease areas remotely.
“Digital measurements provide objective, sensitive and realistic measurements of Parkinson's disease progressionsaid Jamie Adams, MD, associate professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. According to the researcher, the effectiveness of treatments can also be increased by including appropriate digital tools.
Data collected by the devices showed that the gait of patients with early Parkinson's disease significantly worsened, tremors increased, and speech also showed a deterioration, although to a lesser extent. The smartwatch was able to detect this, and also showed a decrease in daily activity, as well as a decrease in arm swing, which is a typical symptom of Parkinson's disease (in patients, the arm swing that usually accompanies walking disappears over time). ).
