Ohio could become the fifth state to create a database of information about Parkinson’s disease. Republican Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo, who has Parkinson’s, said the state needs to compile demographic data on who has the disease, which he said could lead to better treatment and understanding of the disease, and maybe eventually a cure. “The legislation that has been put forth in the Ohio Legislature will do exactly that – it will assist us in gathering data that will help researchers in the state and throughout the nation better understand what is happening here in the state of Ohio with this particular disease,” Mingo said.
The registry would be maintained by the Ohio Department of Health, and there are no estimates on how much it could cost. Mingo says the data can also be used to understand and treat other movement disorders. Utah, California, Nebraska and Wisconsin already have similar databases, and Mingo says he hopes the federal government will set one up as well. At least half a million people in the US have Parkinson’s, but it’s unknown how many Ohioans do.
