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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 hemogram, which implies a laboratory operation and, consequently, operational and material costs.
In a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, scientists at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, United States, presented the results of a mobile application developed by this last which promises the end of needles in the diagnosis of anemia.
There is software that, thanks to a nail photograph can identify 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.
No-bite examination
The application was developed as part of the thesis 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.
"The ideal would be that I frequently get hemoglobin levels, but as it's an added problem – take as many tests among so many transfusions – doctors generally estimate how much I will have to transfuse, according to my tendencies in red blood cells. "
With the application, people like it
" There is no better than Rob Mannino to idealize this project ", explains bioengineer, pediatrician and hematologist Wilbur Lam, who also worked on the design of the application
] "He took pictures of himself before and after transfusions when his hemoglobin was changing, which allowed him to constantly refine and adjust the technology. " in itself very efficiently. So it was actually the perfect initial test at every stage of application development. "
Lam points out that today, all other anemia detection tools require external equipment and are facing invasion and cost problems." 19659002] Is an independent application whose accuracy is at the same level as the tests available at the moment, without it being necessary to draw blood. "
Scientists seek to facilitate control of self patients with chronic anemia
] With the application, the monitoring of disturbances can be constant, so that each patient can identify the times when he needs to consult a doctor to adjust his treatments or even receive blood transfusions without having to worry about the bite
that the system can be used in communities without access to clinical badysis laboratories, particularly in developing countries.
Cependa nt, in the medical environment, each
But Mannino and Lam are optimistic about the fact that such tests could eventually replace the diagnoses of clinical diagnosis,
The method
For the development of the 39, application, the researchers used nails 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 pattern of staining of those that represent a deficiency in 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. Precision is therefore constant regardless of the skin tone of the user.
The application uses image metadata to correct the brightness of the background and the camera variables of each manufacturer and model of the mobile device. A moving image, without custom tuning, can give accuracy of up to 97%, according to the developers.
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. ;an user.
Anemia
The absence of red blood cells in the blood is a problem that can be of genetic origin due to nutritional deficiencies or bleeding.
People suffering from anemia usually exhibit symptoms such as tiredness, Have you watched our new videos on YouTube ? Have you seen our new videos on YouTube ? Subscribe to our channel!
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