• Business
  • Community
  • Crime
  • Education
  • Health
  • Politics
  • What’s On
  • Traffic & Travel
  • Weather
Bath Echo
  • Monday 18th January 2021
  • Subscribe
  • Opinion
  • Reviews
  • Letters
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Editions
Bath Echo

Bath, GB

  • Business
  • Community
  • Crime
  • Education
  • Health
  • Politics
  • What’s On
  • Traffic & Travel
  • Weather
Home
News Headlines
Health

Bath geriatrician leads £2.1m trial into Parkinson’s disease at Bristol University

Friday 25th May 2018 Bath Echo News Team Bath Echo News Team Health

Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Pin
Share
30 Shares

A UK-wide trial into Parkinson’s disease led by the RUH in Bath and the University of Bristol is set to go ahead, thanks to a £2.1 million grant from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

It will test whether a commonly prescribed dementia drug could prevent debilitating falls for people with the disease.

Falls are a frequent complication of Parkinson’s, which affect around 60 per cent of the 127,000-people diagnosed with the condition each year.

With the degeneration of dopamine-producing nerve cells, people with Parkinson’s often have issues with unsteadiness when walking.

As part of the condition, they also have lower levels of acetylcholine, a chemical which helps us to concentrate – making it extremely difficult to pay attention to walking.

The combination of both often leads to patients suffering from injuries, broken bones and hospital admission.

The new three-year trial is led by Dr Emily Henderson, a Geriatrician at the Royal United Hospital in Bath and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol.

It will recruit 600 patients across 26 UK hospitals to determine whether a drug, known as a cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEi) will help people with Parkinson’s.

The trial follows on from earlier phase trials which showed that cholinesterase inhibitor treatment has potential to almost halve the number of falls and improves the regularity of walking, speed, and balance.

Dr Henderson said: “As the population ages, the number of people living with Parkinson’s disease and the occurrence of complications will increase.

“There is an urgent need to identify treatments that reduce falls in Parkinson’s disease. This trial will provide definitive evidence as to the role of ChEi for falls.

“If successful, this treatment will improve the lives of people living with Parkinson’s now and has the potential to be tested in other groups of patients who are at high risk of falling. We are working hard to tackle one of the most disabling complications of Parkinson’s.”

Trial patients will be randomly assigned a 12-month course of either a cholinesterase inhibitor via a patch or a placebo (dummy) treatment.

However, neither the researchers nor the participants will know which group they are in. Patients will be asked to record any falls that they experience in diaries that they post back each month for a year.

Findings from the trial, funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme (HTA), will be published in a research journal.

The announcement of the grant comes in the week of international clinical trials day, which raises awareness and recognition of the work of clinical research professionals for their contribution to public health and medical progress.

Tim Craft, Trust Director of Research and Innovation, said: “Research is good for patients, who benefit from being treated in research-active hospitals.

“Research is good for the Trust. It helps to attract and retain high calibre staff, enhances the Trust’s reputation, and is an important source of income.

“I am delighted to say that we have been awarded this very important grant. This is a really exciting time for the Trust to be increasing its participation in research, with the UK government supporting the growth of life sciences research with significant additional funding.”

Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Pin
Share
30 Shares
Next article Appeal for witnesses following collision involving car and cyclist in Bath
Previous article Next community clean up date announced for streets of Peasedown St John

Related Stories

Historic building set for £1 million revamp to house former rough sleepers
Monday 18th January 2021

Historic building set for £1 million revamp to house former rough sleepers

Avon Fire & Rescue to continue providing support for ambulance service
Monday 18th January 2021

Avon Fire & Rescue to continue providing support for ambulance service

RUH postpones elective operations as COVID-19 pressures increase
Friday 15th January 2021

RUH postpones elective operations as COVID-19 pressures increase

...
Followers
Follow
...
Likes
Like
...
Followers
Follow

Top Stories

Historic building set for £1 million revamp to house former rough sleepers

Historic building set for £1 million revamp to house former rough sleepers

Monday 18th January 2021
Residents encouraged to have say on plans for city's future transport system

Residents encouraged to have say on plans for city's future transport system

Monday 18th January 2021
Dorothy House's annual Christmas tree campaign raises more than £66k

Dorothy House's annual Christmas tree campaign raises more than £66k

Monday 18th January 2021
Avon Fire & Rescue to continue providing support for ambulance service

Avon Fire & Rescue to continue providing support for ambulance service

Monday 18th January 2021
RUH postpones elective operations as COVID-19 pressures increase

RUH postpones elective operations as COVID-19 pressures increase

Friday 15th January 2021
  • Business
  • Community
  • Crime
  • Education
  • Health
  • Politics
  • What’s On
  • Traffic & Travel
  • Weather
  • Back to top
Created by Media Bath - Regulated by IMPRESS

About the Bath Echo | Your City, Your News

We're your local independent newspaper covering news and events across beautiful Bath and the close surrounding villages. We're here to help keep Bathonians in the know about what's going on in their city.

Useful Info

  • House Rules
  • Cookie Policy
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Complaints Policy
  • Social Media Policy
© Bath Echo 2021. All rights reserved.
Produced by Media Bath Limited
The Bath Echo website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're okay with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Okay Find Out More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.