
Parkinson鈥檚 disease can quietly occupy a person鈥檚 body for years before they notice it. But a new study shows it is possible to detect the first flicker of the disease with a smartwatch.听
Wearable devices can pick up a telltale sign of Parkinson鈥檚 disease 鈥� slowing movement 鈥� up to seven years before a person is diagnosed, the听.听
Tracking more than 100,000 people using accelerometer devices (like smartwatches) found that this method of detecting Parkinson鈥檚 outperformed all other predictors, such as genetics, lifestyle, or blood analysis.听
And while it could not replace clinical diagnosis, researchers in New Zealand and overseas said it was a potentially important, low-cost screening tool for identifying people at risk of developing the disease.听
鈥淭he key thing here is that [brain] cells will be dying off over many, many years,鈥� said Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie, who specialises in Parkinson鈥檚 disease at the University of Otago.听
鈥淏y the time someone鈥檚 Parkinsonian, they鈥檝e had at least 50 per cent of their cells die off, it鈥檚 probably closer to 70 per cent.听
鈥淪o if we get that window where we get the hint that something is changing then it gives us an opportunity to halt 鈥� if we are able to 鈥� or even slow the progression.听
鈥淭hat means that people stay independent for longer, they鈥檒l be able to live at home for longer, quality of life will be maintained, they鈥檒l be able to stay in the workforce, for some people.鈥�听
Otago University's Dr Louise Parr-Brownlie says by the time someone鈥檚 Parkinsonian, about 50-70 per cent of their brain cells have died off. Photo / Supplied听
In New Zealand, around 12,000 people have been diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚. It has a long latent phase and patients are not usually diagnosed until symptoms 鈥� like involuntary shaking and slowed movement 鈥� become obvious.听
There is no cure for the disease and the damage to the brain cannot yet be reversed. That was the Holy Grail, the 鈥渕agic thing that we鈥檙e all trying to find鈥�, Parr-Brownlie said.听
Treatment instead focuses on controlling symptoms and improving quality of life.听
Ruth Monk, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Auckland鈥檚 Centre for Brain Research, said there was still 鈥渆normous鈥� scientific and clinical interest in identifying patients in the early phase of Parkinson鈥檚.听
鈥淎 step towards being able to identify people in the very early stages of Parkinson鈥檚 is a step towards finding a way to stop the progression of Parkinson鈥檚 in its tracks, and in an ideal scenario, to reverse any progression that had already been made,鈥� she said.听
Monk鈥檚 work focuses on biological signs of Parkinson鈥檚, in particular loss of smell.听
Around 90 per cent of people with Parkinson鈥檚 report reduced sense of smell, and her research proposes that the progression of the disease could be stopped in its tracks by preventing the spread of damage from the nose to the brain.听
Andrew Bell, from Warkworth, was diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 in 2019, aged 56.听
He was alert to possible symptoms because his father also had the condition. The first warning sign came when he could not double-click his computer mouse and needed two hands to move it.听
A neurologist confirmed he had a cluster of symptoms associated with Parkinson鈥檚, and when his body responded to treatment, his doctor said it was likely that he was Parkinsonian.听
鈥淚t was like being hit by a bucket of cold water,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he words are just bouncing off your head as he talks at you.鈥�听
Bell is now on a regime of medication, which supplements the dopamine in his brain, and exercise, which can help with mobility and cognitive issues. He credits these measures with slowing his deterioration.听
Bell, who is head of Parkinson鈥檚 NZ, said the smartwatch study appeared to show some promise.听
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檒l get to the point of smartwatches diagnosing Parkinson鈥檚. But it could be a canary in the mine situation.听
鈥淚f I found out two years earlier, my ability to 鈥榩ush鈥� the Parkinson鈥檚 would have started earlier. The sooner you [know] 鈥� the more likely you are to extend the functional years that you have.鈥�听
Isaac Davison is an Auckland-based reporter who covers health issues. He joined the Herald in 2008 and has previously covered the environment, politics, and social issues.听
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