Research from Stanford University in California suggests that data collected from smart watches may be able to detect or predict illness.
Most of us have a pretty good idea of what smart watches do. But for those whose watches just provide the time – and maybe the date – a smart watch is basically a wrist-bound device that can do many of the same things as smart phones: make calls, connect to the Internet, provide directions through the Global Positioning System (GPS), send text messages and so on.
There’s also a health-related component to smart watches – among other things, they can, for instance, measure how many steps the wearer takes in any given day.
Mark Frankenberger is a doctor of pharmacy and the pharmacy manager of Corey’s, a Vero Beach institution since 1956. He says that many of his customers benefit from using a smart watch. “The step-counting function enlightens them by telling them how active they are, or aren’t,” he says. “Many times, I have seen this awareness lead to beneficial lifestyle changes.”
In addition to simple step-counting, smart watches can track other physiological factors such as heart rate and skin temperature. But up until now the information these devices gather has not been seen as a vehicle to alert the wearer to their current – or potential – medical conditions. The Stanford researchers believe this could change in the near future.
In their research, the team followed 60 people through their everyday lives, in some cases for up to two years, tracking a wide variety of physiological measurements. Because smart watches (and other personal biosensor devices) track such physiological factors continuously, they can detect deviations from the wearer’s “baseline,” providing a near real-time way to signal the onset of common conditions – such as a cold – and even flag the beginning of more serious and complex conditions, such as diabetes.
Michael Snyder, Ph.D., professor and chair of genetics at Stanford and senior author of the study, says that heart rate and skin temperature tend to rise when people become ill. He and his team wrote a software program using smart-watch data to detect these deviations and to sense when people are becoming ill. “We want to tell when people are healthy and also catch illnesses at their earliest stages,” Snyder says.
Snyder was also a participant in the study, and his smart watch helped him and his doctor figure out that he had Lyme disease. He says that he had an elevated heart rate and decreased oxygen, and knew “something was not quite right.” Suspecting Lyme disease, he visited his doctor, who confirmed the diagnosis and prescribed an antibiotic. Early detection helped in the quick resolution of this serious condition.
The Stanford study was published in the medical journal PLOS Biology. One of its findings was that people with signs of insulin resistance are at high risk for Type 2 diabetes, but they are often unaware that they have this risk factor. Personal biosensors could potentially be used to detect the variations in heart rate patterns indicative of this risk factor.
Vero’s Frankenberger agrees with the Stanford team that the research has great potential, paving the way for smart watches to serve as a health “dashboard” of sorts, looking for early signs of illness, even before the wearer is aware of any symptoms. Stanford’s Dr. Snyder says, “The information collected could aid your physician, although we can expect some initial challenges in how to integrate the data into clinical practice.”
Another interesting finding of the research illuminates an effect most of us have experienced: feeling fatigued during and after an airplane flight. While we may attribute the feeling to the stress of traveling or the associated changes in our regular schedule, the researchers were able to specifically tie fatigue to the decrease in blood oxygen levels that occurs during flights, primarily due to the low-humidity air in the cabin. This knowledge allows for countermeasures to be taken – staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water prior to and during the flight, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol in-flight.
Frankenberger has advice for those who are interested in the currently-available fitness benefits of a smart watch, but may find their limited technology know-how to be a roadblock. “If you have trouble setting it up, don’t just give up and put it in drawer. You very likely have a friend or family member who is adept at that sort of thing, and would love to help you. They may even be a source of ongoing support, to encourage you to achieve the fitness goals you set.”
Corey’s Pharmacy is located at 2912 Ocean Drive on the barrier island; the phone number is 772-231-6931.
