According to a study by the US Duke University in North Carolina, several health data measured by the Apple Watch Series 3 would have made it possible to predict through AI the manifestation of pain attacks caused by the most widespread genetic disease in the world.
Artificial intelligence is not only used to generate student essays or artificial images, it can also help medicine. According to a study from Duke University in North Carolina (USA), Apple Watch health data analyzed by AI could have predicted the appearance of a symptom of a genetic disease even before it did not manifest itself.
Published on Tuesday, March 14, on the website of the United States National Library of Medicine and seen by the specialized site My Healthy Applethis study demonstrates that the use of Apple connected watches in patients with dementiaRepanocytosis (the most common genetic disease) can help treat your pain attacks before they become too severe.
Prevent crises to treat them as soon as possible
As the news site says MacRumors, the seven study researchers recruited 20 adult patients affected by this disease between July and September 2021 to care for them at the Duke University day hospital. Each individual received an Apple Watch Series 3, which, worn on the wrist for just over two hours, collected a total of more than 15,000 heart rate, heart rate variability, and calorie data.
By crossing them with pain scoresand vital signs measured by the hospital team, the researchers were able to create a machine learning algorithm. It is this artificial intelligence that was then able to alert doctors when a crisis the vaso-occlusive disease (caused by a disruption of blood flow) was about to occur, allowing them to give patients painkillers before it got worse. An effective prediction until “84.5%according to the study.
An economical and non-invasive solution
According to the researchers, cited byMy Healthy AppleThis new use of Apple Watch sensors allows for a new approach.”cost-effective that could benefit doctors and people with sickle cell disease», which affects more than 4 million people worldwide. It is more, by a judged tool “non-invasivefor patients, compared to traditional medical probes.
Turning its connected watches into a useful tool for medicine was also one of Apple’s goals in 2016, before the launch of the Apple Watch Series 3. But recent events could call into question its use in the medical field: several generations of Apple Watch are threatened. Banned for sale in the United States for patent infringement…on one of the medical data sensors.
Our colleagues from Numerama launch Watt Else, their newsletter dedicated to the mobility of the future. Sign up here to make sure you receive the next issue!