Parkinson's Disease
In the United States, as many as one million Americans have Parkinson’s Disease (PD) which is more than the number of people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, and Lou Gehrig’s Disease combined. [1] PD is a debilitating and progressive movement disorder that involves the malfunction and death of neurons in the brain causing motor-related symptoms. These motor related symptoms include: bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and tremor, which have been used to evaluate the progression of PD. The progression of PD symptoms typically worsens over time and it is very important for the physicians to be able to constantly measure and evaluate these symptoms. Tremor is one of the most important symptoms that need to be measured repeatedly over time and is the focus of our company. Currently, it is inconvenient and costly for physicians to take the necessary repeated measurements of tremor symptoms in PD patients. The tests are very expensive and it requires multiple visits to the physician.
1. "Statistics on Parkinson's - Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF)." Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) - Hope through Research, Education and Advocacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pdf.org/en/parkinson_statistics>.
Helpful Resources
American Parkinson Disease Association:
http://www.apdaparkinson.org/
National Parkinson Foundation:
http://www.parkinson.org/
Parkinson's Disease Foundation:
http://www.pdf.org/
The Michael J. Fox Foundation:
https://www.michaeljfox.org/