Breakthrough Test Could Revolutionise Parkinson's Detection
In a significant medical breakthrough, a straightforward test analysing how people turn while walking could identify Parkinson's disease nearly nine years before doctors typically diagnose the condition. This discovery offers hope for earlier intervention against the devastating neurodegenerative disorder that affects over 153,000 people in the UK.
The Turning Point: How Walking Patterns Reveal Hidden Disease
German neurologists conducting the TREND study found that individuals who later developed Parkinson's showed distinct changes in their turning behaviour during walking tests. Those destined for diagnosis began turning more slowly at wider angles up to 8.8 years before receiving official confirmation of the disease.
Researchers from the University of Tübingen monitored 924 participants aged over 50 through wearable trackers placed on their lower backs. Participants walked along a 20-metre hallway for one minute at their preferred pace, with tests repeated five times over a decade. By the study's conclusion, 23 participants had received Parkinson's diagnoses.
"Turning is a complex part of walking that requires constant coordination and modification of movement trajectory," explained the researchers in their Annals of Neurology publication. "Difficulties turning are common and highly relevant to daily life in Parkinson's, making this an intuitive area to investigate for early detection."
Machine Learning and Future Screening Potential
Using machine learning algorithms that accounted for age, sex and turning speed, researchers successfully identified 60% of patients in Parkinson's early stages. The system proved particularly effective at spotting subtle changes that emerge almost nine years before diagnosis.
The study revealed fascinating gender and age patterns. Men were four times more likely to develop Parkinson's than women, while every additional year of age increased risk by 15%. Experts suggest the slower, wider turns might represent the body's subconscious strategy to compensate for declining postural stability - a common Parkinson's symptom.
"A decline in postural stability may subconsciously incentivise patients to turn slower and adopt a safer route using a larger arc," the researchers noted. "This suggests Parkinson's patients in the prediagnostic phase develop strategies for safer and more stable turning."
Currently, Parkinson's diagnosis relies on observing later-stage symptoms like tremors after excluding other conditions, leading to misdiagnosis in over one-quarter of cases. The researchers believe their turning analysis approach, using a single wearable sensor, could enable practical large-scale screening.
While acknowledging limitations including their analysis of only seven turning measures, the team concluded: "Our results suggest turning measures may aid in predicting clinical Parkinson's diagnosis and enhance a panel of prediagnostic markers for identifying high-risk individuals."
This research comes as recent studies suggest more than 20,000 people in Britain might unknowingly live with Parkinson's, with two people diagnosed every hour in the UK. The disease costs the NHS over £725 million annually, highlighting the urgent need for better detection methods.
