Can Smart Watches and Fitness Trackers Can Detect Disease
Smart watches and fitness trackers can provide a lot of information. They can record steps and calories, track heart rate, monitor sleep patterns and blood oxygen levels.
They can also detect symptoms of diseases like COVID-19. A team at Scripps Research is using a smartphone app to detect changes in your sleeping, activity level and resting heart rate.
Do Smart Watches Hold Promise to Detect Disease and Improve Health?
A smartwatch is a wearable computer that displays information on an electronic visual display. It can collect data from internal or external sensors, control and communicate with other devices, and support wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS.
Some smartwatches use your heart rate and skin temperature to detect illnesses. The device sends a notification to your phone when it detects abnormalities or early signs of disease.
The device can also alert your doctor and caregivers if it detects the symptoms of certain diseases. It can also track your medications and provide reminders for when you should take them.
Some smartwatches have GPS features that can help you find your way around or locate a lost item, like your phone or keys. Some even have fall detection, which can contact 911 and your emergency contacts if it detects you’ve fallen or been immobile for an extended period of time. This feature is particularly useful for seniors or those at risk of falling.
Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the most common type of heart arrhythmia. In Afib, the upper chambers of the heart beat irregularly, causing blood to flow poorly around the body and boosting the risk of stroke and heart failure.
Sometimes AFib doesn’t cause symptoms and you may not know you have it until a doctor checks your heart rhythm with an electrocardiogram (ECG). Lifestyle habits like avoiding alcohol, smoking, and exercise can help reduce the risk of developing Afib.
Some medical alert smartwatches, including our top pick for best value, Bay Alarm Medical, detect Afib by monitoring the wearer’s heart rate and breathing and detecting a rapid pulse. The watch then uses two-way communication to connect with a monitoring center operator, who can send an ambulance or call for emergency services. The watch also has a large help button that can be pressed to request assistance in an emergency. It’s worth noting that this technology could interfere with cardiac implants such as pacemakers and defibrillators, so you should talk to your doctor before buying one.
Left-Ventricular Dysfunction
The condition is due to a buildup of iron, excess protein, or other problems that interfere with the heart’s ability to pump blood. Genetics, diabetes, and some chemotherapy drugs may increase a person’s risk. Some symptoms include fatigue and shortness of breath.
Using artificial intelligence, researchers trained an algorithm to identify people with left-ventricular dysfunction from Apple Watch electrocardiogram (ECG) data. The algorithm used daily basal heart rate and step-count data for a period that started 8-35 days before COVID-19 symptom onset.
Many smartwatches can detect atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat. They can also measure blood pressure with an inflatable cuff built into the device and monitor sleep to look for signs of obstructive sleep apnea. But, doctors warn that wearables shouldn’t be used to diagnose serious health conditions, such as heart failure. That’s because they can lead to over-testing and unnecessary stress. They also can’t replace a traditional medical evaluation, which requires inserting a thin tube through a blood vessel in the arm or groin and injecting a contrast solution to get pictures of the heart.
Early Warning Signs of Cancer
Researchers are working to develop smartwatch technologies that can detect early warning signs of cancer. The technology is based on optical biosensing, which converts a wearable device into a round-the-clock diagnostic tool for monitoring the molecular signatures of cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream.
The sensors fit into a watchband and work by through-the-skin detection to measure the levels of specific biomarkers circulating in the body. The system is designed to detect and record multiple biomarkers at the same time, reducing the number of trips to the doctor for testing and providing early warning signs that can be acted on.
Studies of general population samples have identified low symptom awareness, and a link between symptom recognition and delayed help-seeking, particularly in groups with lower socioeconomic status and ethnic minority background who are more likely to suffer from late diagnosis (Stubbings et al, 2009; CR-UK, 2012a, 2012b). Increasing the use of early detection tools could improve health outcomes and save lives by improving the speed of diagnosis.
OnePhenix is the only IPAAS software that connects your wearable data to your healthcare professionals. www.Onephenix.com.au
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