Doctors at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital have developed a lightweight, easy-to-use Parkinson’s disease glove that automatically reduces tremors, allowing Parkinson’s patients to enjoy a social life, reducing the side effects of medication and the risk of brain surgery.
BANGKOK, April 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — tremors, dullness, and stiffnessIt is an obvious symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, and 70% of patients have hand tremor symptoms. People with Parkinson’s disease are disabled and have a reduced quality of life. Currently, there are 10 million Parkinson’s patients worldwide, 150,000 of whom are in Thailand.
Currently, Parkinson’s disease is treated with a cocktail of drugs, but this does not reduce all tremors. Some patients with very strong tremors may require brain surgery, which is not an option because of the high cost and side effects. This conundrum inspired Chulalongkorn University (Chulalongkorn University) a research group at the Faculty of Medicine, inProf. Roongroj Bhidayasiri and Assistant Prof. Onanong PhokaewvarangkulUnder the leadership of , developed in 2014“Gloves to Reduce Parkinson’s Tremors”prototype. The glove was patented in 2017 as a portable tremor measurement and reduction device using a form of electrical muscle stimulation. Several research articles have been published in international medical journals supporting the efficacy of the device. At present, the team has successfully developed the “fifth-generation Parkinson’s tremor-reducing glove”, which is lightweight, easy to wear, effective, and cheaper than similar imported equipment.
“The Parkinson’s shock-absorbing glove is the first medical device that can help reduce hand tremors in Parkinson’s disease patients by automatically stimulating the hand muscles, without the need for additional medication, and may reduce the risk of brain surgery,” said Assistant ProfessorDr. Onanong said. The Parkinson’s disease glove consists of three main parts: a glove fitted with a muscle stimulator, a control panel, and a phone with an app that controls the device and stores tremors and stimuli for analysis. The gloves work via a Bluetooth connection.
This innovation was awarded by Thailand’s National Innovation Agency (Public Organization) and Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation2022 National Social and Environmental Innovation Award (Private Sector)。
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For more information, please contact Prof. Dr. Roongroj Bhidayasiri, Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Mobile: +668-1107-9999, or visitwww.chulapd.org。
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