Apple Insider: Future Apple Watch May Come As a New Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

During the recent appearances in the market, Apple has been bolstering the health features of its Apple smartwatch, and added several health tracking features for the potential users. Recently, it is said that Apple is working on integrating new health sensor, which could help monitor and treat Parkinson’s Disease. The sensor can monitor the movement of the wearer associated with tremors and dyskinesia, which can provide valuable insights to healthcare providers.

Moreover, the filed patent is not only be applied in Apple smartwatch but also the smartphone, smart glasses or invasive medical devices such as hearing aids and so on. It isn’t hard to tell that Apple will be soon marching into the healthcare market.

There are an estimated 600,000 to 1 million cases of Parkinson’s Disease in the United States and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, says Apple in the filing. However, there is no direct meditation for neurodegenerative disease, the Parkinson’s Disease, in the current phase.

Compared to the fourth generation of Apple Watch, Apple has launched the fifth Apple Watch in the beginning of 2019, which has packed with menstrual cycle tracking and noise monitoring. As for the fourth one, it has equipped with the electrocardiogram monitoring (ECG) system. Meanwhile, the healthcare solution of Apple Watch has been approved the positive benefit for the heart disease. It’s clear Apple is interested in expanding its health offerings.

According to the filling document, the system utilizes motion sensors to monitor movement and the resulting data is analyzed on device using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). In fact, in the current situation, there might a wrong paper record. If this technology is workable, doctors can have a precise data to analyze. Apple says this provides multiple benefits and advantages, including ones for both the patient and the clinician.

Symptoms of PD include tremor and dyskinesia. Dyskinesia is an uncontrollable and involuntary movement that can resemble twitching, fidgeting, swaying or bobbing. As always, just because Apple filed for a patent doesn’t mean this is something we’ll see anytime soon. It may in fact, never see the light of day. Perhaps, someday in the near future, we can see AR helmet from Apple sooner or later.

【蘋果申請新專利 Apple Watch可能成為治療帕金森氏症的好幫手】

根據AppleInsider的報導，蘋果最近申請了一項新專利（US number 20190365286），該專利要整合新的感測器，並宣稱可用來測定帕金森氏症 所產生的震顫（tremor）與異動症（dyskinesia）頻率。

值得一提的是，專利並不僅限使用於智慧手表，還能用在手機、智慧眼鏡或助聽器這種侵入性醫材，以測量頭部的位移情形，不僅帶給市場廣大的想像空間，也意味著蘋果對拓展 健康事業 版圖的野心。

根據統計，每年美國帕金森氏症的患者約新增60萬例，由於這樣的退化性神經疾病尚沒有明確的治療方法，也顯示出這個監測的重要。蘋果在今年發表的第五代Apple Watch已經加入包括月經週期追蹤、噪音監測以及第四代就有的 ECG 心電監測，也有相關的案例證明蘋果的健康解決方案真的對心臟有問題以及自閉症患者起到症狀改善的功能，也透露出蘋果想要把Apple Watch定位在健康照護的意圖。

根據專利申請書，這項專利主要是透過感測器，特別是加速度計與陀螺儀，能夠24小時紀錄患者的異動與震顫；所謂異動症即非自主性的行動失調，出現肢體運動不協調、不規則的笨拙動作、跳躍，或是控制不了的面目抽搐、歪嘴皺眉等。而病人每天會出現的症狀反應不盡相同，所以目前的治療都是由病人自行記錄並主述，再由醫生判讀，但有時候紀錄的結果可能跟事實有所出入，不過，有了監測系統，醫生就可以根據詳細的數據來觀察病人發生狀況的時間、服藥後是否有明顯改善，以便醫生調整治療方式。

雖然明年的第六代Apple Watch未必可以真的看到相關功能問世，但從蘋果的專利申請來看，也許2022或2023年蘋果會推出自己的AR頭盔也說不定。