By Marc
kovac
Capital Bureau Chief
April
11, 2016
Columbus
-- State health officials would compile information on Ohioans diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease and related neurological disorders, under legislation
introduced in the Ohio House.
HB 499
calls for the creation of a Parkinson's Disease Registry to gather demographic
and other details about sufferers -- where they live, and their gender, age and
ethnicity, for example.
One
goal is help researchers and doctors better understand potential causes of the
disease.
"Whatever
we can do to help the quality of life of Ohioans in meaningful ways, there
should be no hesitancy to be able to achieve that goal," said Rep. Cheryl
Grossman (R-Grove City), a primary co-sponsor of the proposed law changes.
"I believe this registry will be extremely beneficial to many individuals
that are affected by Parkinson's disease."
Grossman
and Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo, a Stark County native with
Parkinson's, urged support for the legislation April 11 during a press
conference at the Statehouse. Four other states (Utah, California, Nebraska and
Washington) have comparable registries already in place.
"Parkinson's
disease is the most prevalent neurological disorder in this nation," Mingo
said. "We believe that nearly 1 million Americans walk with this disease.
Astonishingly, what we don't know is out of that million, how many actually
reside in Ohio/ We need to know that and understand what's happening here in
the state of Ohio with those who live with Parkinson's disease."
The
data also could be used to track other neurological disorders, some of which
surface after Parkinson's diagnoses, Mingo said.
"Ultimately,
this information will be shared and used to better diagnose movement disorders
in general," he said. "If you're a neurologist or if you're a
movement disorder specialist, the data we're gathering will be instrumental
whether it's Parkinson's disease or another type of movement disorder that's
common in America."
http://www.the-news-leader.com/latest%20headlines/2016/04/11/ohio-considers-creating-parkinsons-disease-registry-to-help-researchers
No comments:
Post a Comment