Participants take part in a Parkinson's awareness run.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Close to 500 people put their best foot forward to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease at the Ramadan Night Run organised by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a Mubadala Health partner, which took place at Yas Acres Golf & Country Club on Saturday.

Participants of all ages took part in one of three distances – 2.5km, 5km and 10km – around the floodlit golf course, cheered on by a large gathering of supporters, ahead of World Parkinson’s Day on April 11.

The aim of the run is to emphasise the fact that keeping active is an important factor in managing the disease for the millions of people around the world who live with Parkinson’s - the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative condition.

Commenting on the Ramadan Night Run, Dr Shivam Mittal, Staff Physician at the Neurological Institute and a Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders specialist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, said: “Through such events and awareness initiatives, we reinforce our message to Parkinson’s disease patients to remain active and to exercise safely, and to reassure them that they are not alone in their fight against the disease and that we are with them every step of the way.”

Ahead of the start of the race there were a series of talks by leading experts from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

This included a “Parkinson’s Disease Awareness” session, followed by an informative talk on “Managing Parkinson’s during Ramadan;” and advice shared on “How to speak loud and clear with Parkinson’s.”

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has also set up a virtual challenge suitable for Parkinson’s disease patients and members of the wider community who could not make it to the run and is open to all until the end of April. The “Virtual Challenge” is open to participants from across Abu Dhabi, the UAE and further afield.

Members of the community wishing to learn more about the challenge and to join are encouraged to visit Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi-Parkinson’s Disease Virtual Challenge.

Patients in the UAE previously had to travel overseas for treatment.

The Parkinson’s Disease and Research Center at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi was founded in 2019 – the first centre of its kind in the UAE, which provides a range of medical and surgical treatment options for patients with Parkinson’s disease, including Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) pump therapies such as intestinal dopamine gel therapy (DUOPA pump), and apomorphine pump therapy, supported by a multidisciplinary team including neurologists, psychiatrists, gastroenterologists, urologists, neurosurgery, neurorehabilitation team including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

This all has, and continues to, significantly reduce the burden of travelling abroad since world-class treatment and management of the disease is now readily available here in the UAE.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, an integral part of Mubadala Health, is a multispecialty hospital on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is a unique and unparalleled extension of US-based Cleveland Clinic’s model of care, specifically designed to address a range of complex and critical care requirements unique to the Abu Dhabi population.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has the following Institutes: Heart & Vascular, Neurological, Digestive Disease, Eye, Respiratory, Critical Care, Surgical Subspecialties, Medical Subspecialties, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Imaging, Quality & Patient Safety, and Clinical & Nursing. In all, more than 40 medical and surgical specialties are represented at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

The facilities at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi combine state-of-the-art amenities and world-class service standards. The hospital is a 394-bed (expandable to 490) facility, with five clinical floors, three diagnostic and treatment levels, and 13 floors of critical and acute inpatient units. It is a physician-led medical facility served by North American/European Board Certified (or equivalent) physicians.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi provides patients in the region direct access to the world’s best healthcare providers and Cleveland Clinic’s unique model of care, reducing their need to travel abroad for treatment. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi – Al Ain began offering select medical services in December 2017.

The facility is located on the Tawam Hospital Campus in Al Ain.