 |
The buddi bracelet has identified a previously unknown symptom, that sufferers experience spasms in their sleep
|
- Devices to help better understand disease and lead to improved treatments
- Tracker has recorded sleep spasms doctors were previously unaware of
- Spasms do not wake sufferer and therefore were unreported to medics
- Only clue for medics was patients feeling unwell the next day
The breakthrough was made by the technology firm, which is owned by businesswoman Sara Murray, and provides monitoring alarm bracelets for the NHS, local authorities and Ministry of Defence.
'It is very early days but we will be presenting our data to the medical establishment because it seems quite clear that this discovery has great potential for doctors to learn more about this awful disease,' said Buddi's chief executive Ms Murray, the founder of Confused.com and a member of the Government's Technology Strategy Board.
'It may even form the basis of new forms of treatments depending on the findings of doctors.'
The data was recorded on the wristbands as sufferers slept.
The Buddi system works as 24/7 monitoring and personal emergency response service. It not only tracks the user's whereabouts using GPS, but alerts their next of kin or carers if the person appears to be in trouble.
It comes in three parts, the wristband, a clip which is attached to a lanyard or key ring and the dock.
The buddi was created by entrepreneur Sara Murray
The wristband goes everywhere with the user and traces movements and can raise the alarm if it detects a fall.
Unlike many personal alarm systems which are taken off at night, the Buddi wristband is designed to be worn during sleep incase of falls on the way to the bathroom and this is how the spasms were detected.
Falls are detected automatically and the device immediately sends an alarm call but the wristband also monitors activity levels during sleep and can detect restless sleep.
The graphs from these movement logs on 3,000 wristbands were analysed by Buddi which lead to the discovery of the sleeping spasms.
The Parkinson's findings became clear with the analysis of six months of data per individual.
Ms Murray added: 'The data from the Buddi is unequivocal in that is shows Parkinson's sufferers are experiencing previously undiscovered spasms in their sleep.
'Often they report to their doctor feeling very unwell the next day and doctors have not been able to explain this.
'At the very least our discovery will help patients manage their medication better because one possible cause of the spasms could be because the patient is not taking tablets at the right time.
'However, that is only part of the story. The fact that these spasms are happening gives a whole new area of investigation for the medical profession.
'We will do everything we can to help and make all our data available.'
Parkinson's afflicts about 127,000 people in the UK and there is no cure though there are a range of treatments to manage the condition.
It is a progressive neurological illness which usually affects people over the age of 50 and the three main symptoms are tremors, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement.
The condition is triggered because there is a shortage of chemical called dopamine because specific nerve cells in the brain have died.
No-one is immune from the disease which has struck down the former heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali, Hollywood star Michael J Fox, the late country singer Johnny Cash and the evangelist Billy Graham.
Closer to home the Scottish comedian and actor Billy Connolly has been diagnosed as a sufferer. Roger Bannister, the first man to run a four-minute mile was among its sufferers as well as Ray Kennedy the former Arsenal, Liverpool and England footballer.
Buddi operates an emergency monitoring centre in the UK which is manned 24/7 365 days a year to react to emergencies.
The firm works with over 100 local authorities and NHS Trusts to help protect vulnerable people.
Murray, who has forged a reputation as one of Britain's top innovators and was named entrepreneur of the year in 2009, was in the headlines last year when one of her tracking devices helped convict criminal Darren Girling, 38, who tried to dodge a speeding ticket while on bail.
His tracking device, worn as part of his bail conditions, was using GPS technology and put him at the scene of the crime.
Girling was caught riding a scooter at 41mph in a 30mph zone on the A13 in Leigh, Essex. He claimed someone else had 'cloned' his bike and it wasn't him on the scooter.
But the Buddi tracker - dubbed 'ChavNav' - proved he was lying.
Murray created Buddi in 2005 after the horror she felt when her young daughter temporarily disappeared in a supermarket.
http://health.einnews.com/article/287319359/BQSmg6FjUoLsGx7a
No comments:
Post a Comment