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Anemia is the most prevalent blood disorder in the world. It is estimated that 25% to 33% of the world's population has the problem, which is the low level of red blood cells in the blood. To diagnose it, it is necessary to perform a blood count involving a laboratory operation and, consequently, operational and material costs.
In a study published Tuesday in the scientific journal Nature Communications, scientists at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, United States, presented the results of a mobile app put to point by them that promises the end of needles in the diagnosis of anemia.
This is a software program that, through a nail photography, helps determine if the user has adequate levels of hemoglobin in the blood. And the test results are encouraging in terms of accuracy.
If all goes well, the application should be available for public download by the end of the first half of 2019, according to the developers. Soon, the product must have the patent recognized – the prototype has already been filed with the relevant US agencies.
The application was developed as part of the doctoral work of biomedical engineer Rob Mannino. He was inspired by a personal health problem to think about this non-invasive method of badysis. Mannino carries a hereditary disease in the blood, caused by a genetic mutation.
"My treatment requires monthly blood transfusions," says the scientist.
"It would be ideal to frequently control hemoglobin levels, but since it is too complicated – to do as many tests among as many transfusions – doctors generally estimate only the number of transfusions of which I am. I need according to the trends of my level of red blood cells. "
With the application, developers like the developer himself can perform constant exams without any invasive method.
"Nobody better than Rob Mannino to idealize this project," says bioengineer, pediatrician and hematologist Wilbur Lam, who also worked on the design of the application.
"He was taking pictures of himself before and after the transfusions, while his hemoglobin was changing, which allowed him to refine and adjust his technology. consistently and very effectively. " own perfect initial test at every stage of application development. "
Lam points out that all other anemia detection tools now require external equipment and pose invasion and cost problems.
" It 's all about. an independent application whose accuracy is at the same level as the tests currently available, without it being necessary to draw blood, "he says.
Scientists seek to facilitate self-management of patients suffering of chronic anemia.
With the application, the monitoring of disturbances can be constant so that each patient can identify the times when he or she needs to consult a doctor to adjust treatments or even receive blood transfusions without the need to bite.
It is also expected that the system can be used in communities without access to clinical badysis laboratories, particularly in the countries of the world. in development
However, in the medical community, all care is limited. The developers emphasize that the application should be used for screening and not for the definitive diagnosis.
But Mannino and Lam are optimistic about the fact that in the future, such tests could eventually replace diagnostics of clinical badysis.
For the development of the application, the researchers used nail images of 337 people, some healthy and others with a diagnosis of anemia.
Based on these images, an algorithm has been developed, able to identify the healthy staining pattern of those with impaired red blood cells.
The location chosen for the photos is ideal because the skin under the nails does not contain melanin, the natural pigment that varies from person to person. Then the photos can capture a standard hue. And so the accuracy is constant regardless of the skin color of the user.
The application uses image metadata to correct the background and brightness of the camera of each manufacturer and model of the mobile device.
According to developers, a single mobile image, without custom tuning, can provide 97% accuracy. But the secret lies in the calibration obtained with constant use.
According to tests, in four weeks of continuous use, the application "learns" the profile of the user and begins to give results with levels of accuracy equivalent to those of the user. a conventional blood test.
The lack of red blood cells in the blood is a problem that may have a genetic origin, nutritional deficiencies or a certain haemorrhage.
People with anemia usually present with symptoms such as fatigue, indisposition, tachycardia, pallor of the skin, appetite disorders, nausea, among others.
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