DOHA THE limitations of diagnosing or tracing the development of the Parkinson’s disease due to lack of reliable tools were discussed at the monthly community health forum titled ‘Medicine and U’ held recently at the Weill Cornell Medical College- Qatar (WCMC-Q).
“Unlike other medical conditions that can be diagnosed through blood tests or biopsies, there is no definitive test or ‘biomarker’ that can identify Parkinson’s disease or trace its development,” said Dr Claire Henchcliffe, director of the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Institute at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.
“Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common nervous system disorders among the elderly. A disorder of the brain, the disease leads to tremors and difficulty with walking, movement and coordination. As it affects both men and women after the age of 50, the younger adults can also acquire it if there’s family history of the disease,” Dr Henchcliffe pointed out.
An expert on Parkinson’s disease, Dr Henchcliffe has witnessed the limitations of diagnosing the disease due to lack of reliable tools.
“A biomarker would enable physicians to diagnose Parkinson’s earlier, perhaps even before physical symptoms appear. This, in turn, would allow for earlier treatment including the testing of therapies that may prevent Parkinson’s,” Dr Henchcliffe said.
“Since people with Parkinson’s do not fall into a single category, their treatment should not either. A biomarker would allow physicians to detect differences among patients and therefore develop individualised treatments,” she added.
Dr Henchcliffe is currently studying two potential avenues for bio-marking that will assist in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
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