Smartwatch data can be used to predict underlying illness, study says

Smartwatch data also gave more consistent heart-rate readings than those taken in the labs, the team said in the study

June 04, 2021 06:44 pm | Updated June 05, 2021 10:34 am IST

Wearable devices grew popular last year as consumers became more health conscious.

Wearable devices grew popular last year as consumers became more health conscious.

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Smartwatches like Apple Watch and Samsung's Galaxy Watch can measure basic health data like heart rate and physical activity. Now, this data can also be used to signal physiological changes and underlying illness including change in red blood cells, early signs of dehydration, and anaemia, according to a study by Stanford University.

The team of researchers tracked data from smartwatches, blood tests, and other vital tests of 54 people to understand whether smartwatch-derived signals could predict the same values without any intervention. The participants wore smartwatches that measured heart rate, step count, skin temperature, and electrodermal activity, a measure of electrical activity in the skin. The team correlated the readings with tests taken by traditional means in a clinical laboratory.

It found that changes in heart rate, for instance, often predicted changes in red blood cell count and haemoglobin, indicating that simple smartwatch readings were in line with various clinical test results usually conducted at pathology labs. In another instance, the study also predicted the occurrence of a cold or flu when the participants' skin temperature rose and movement decreased as a result of higher immune cell count.

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Smartwatch data also gave more consistent heart-rate readings than those taken in the labs, the team said in a study titled ‘Wearable sensors enable personalized predictions of clinical laboratory measurements’.

Signals such as heart rate, body temperature, physical activity and oxygen levels are usually not enough to diagnose a disease, but the measurements are still useful in assessing overall health, or for monitoring recovery after surgery, the team added.

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"Devices are becoming much more sensitive and with many more capabilities. As the technology continues to advance, people will be better equipped to understand what’s going on with their own health in real time, just through their wearable devices," the team noted.

Wearable devices grew popular last year as consumers became more health conscious. These devices also present growth opportunities to tech giants including Apple , Google , Facebook and Amazon as they attempt to expand their reach in the healthcare space, market research firm Counterpoint had said in a statement last month.

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