Wearable Thimble-like Device for the Objective Follow-up and Therapy of Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects more than 1 million people worldwide. Since there is no definitive treatment for the disease, the treatment plan for each patient should be updated regularly according to the current level of the disease. There are standard clinical tests, each with its own scoring scale, used to monitor the deterioration of upper and lower extremity functions of MS patients under the supervision of a neurologist and physiotherapist. However, non-objective scoring based on the opinion of the physiotherapist is open to erroneous assessments and may vary from person to person. In addition, clinical tests do not provide detailed information about the functional impairment of the patient. Unfortunately, an objective evaluation system has not yet been implemented all over the world, and the treatment plan is still determined according to the disease in neurological-based disabilities, such as MS, which is of vital importance. personal assessment. To address the aforementioned problem, the design and experimental evaluation of a wearable thimble-like device that can be substituted for the standard clinical tests to assess the follow-up of MS are presented. The device provides the measurement of high sensitivity and opportunity for objective assessment and allows patients of all ages to use it in any desired place during their treatment phase.