Son who used AI to help save mum's life hopes case unlocks clues for other Parkinson's patients

An NHS doctor who says he saved his mum's life with the help of AI hopes what he learned can help others with Parkinson's Disease complications.

Ed Patrick, an anaesthetist from Oxfordshire, was at his mother's bedside in hospital ready to say his goodbyes after she began suffering serious and continuous seizures.

Using AI to scour recent medical journal articles, he said he identified a vitamin deficiency linked to her Parkinson's medication as a possible cause, and staff then gave her a vitamin dose that appeared to stop the seizures.

Doctors say clinical trials are needed to understand more - and warn against patients making changes to their own medication without medical advice.

Charity Parkinson's UK welcomed the prospect of more research trials in light of this case and said it could "transform care" for some others with Parkinson's.

In May this year Patrick said hospital staff called to say his mother, Ann, was close to death, after she had been deteriorating over several months.

"She was taken to hospital with non-stop fits and convulsions," he told BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show.

"I got a phone call from the hospital's medical registrar who told me they'd tried all the anti-seizure medications and they weren't working. 'Sorry, she's dying', the registrar told me. 'Do I have time to make it?', I said. 'Yes, but you've got to leave now' was her reply."

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