Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

The 50th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology

Approach of gene medical treatment in neurological diseases with the neurologist's "Approach of support to the patients with inherited and incurable neurological diseases."

Takanori Hazama1), Jin-ichi Sawada1) and Tatsushi Toda2)

1)The Department of Neurology, Osaka General Medical Center
2)The Department of Neurology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine

Advancements in medical genetics have increased access to genetic diagnosis in clinical neurology and accompanying genetic counseling. However, its use has not yet spread and the frequency of general biochemistry inspection in medical treatment and by patients remains low. Many problems remain for doctors, though socio-cultural and other various causes exist. Thus, a network of care specialists for inherited and incurable neurological diseases has been established, consisting of multi-occupational categories in medical treatment, health, and welfare such as clinical inheritance specialists, psychiatrists, public health nurses, and medical social workers, to meet the rise in availability of such methods. Businesses in areas such as training, consultation, and field research have arisen. An educational campaign for neurologists who have taken a central role in treatment of inherited and incurable neurological diseases, and related information have been disseminated to those working in fields related to regional welfare of neurological medicine, and patients are now supported totally by team and regional counseling. These new developments in support systems for inherited and incurable neurological diseases, have steadily achieved the respective goals. We aim to promote its evolution to a more advanced network to promote the independence of individual patients in the future.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (599K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 49: 756|761, 2009)
key words: genetic diagnosis, genetic counseling, incurable neurological diseases, medical network

(Received: 21-May-09)