[ad_1]
A pair of new studies highlighted by a CBS News The report says smartwatches like the Apple Watch can help detect COVID-19 before symptoms appear or test positive. The studies, conducted separately by Mount Sinai Health System in New York and Stanford University in California, give experts hope that the Apple Watch can help “play a vital role in containing the pandemic and ‘other communicable diseases’.
Research by Mount Sinai found that the Apple Watch is able to detect “subtle changes in an individual’s heart rate” up to seven days before symptoms of COVID-19 appear or test positive. The study analyzed heart rate variability, or the variation in time between heartbeats, and included nearly 300 healthcare workers who wore Apple watches between April 29 and September 29.
It is a commonly used measure of how a person’s immune system is working, the report explains.
“Our goal was to use tools to identify infections at the time of infection or before people knew they were sick,” said Rob Hirten, assistant professor of medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. in New York and author of Warrior Watch Study.
“We already knew that markers of heart rate variability change as inflammation grows in the body, and Covid is an incredibly inflammatory event,” Hirten told CBS MoneyWatch. “It allows us to predict that people are infected before they even know it.”
“Right now, we rely on people saying they’re sick and not feeling well, but wearing an Apple Watch doesn’t require any active user intervention and can identify the people who may be asymptomatic. It’s a way to better control infectious diseases, ”Hirten said.
Meanwhile, a separate Stanford study, the results of which were released in November, included activity trackers from Garmin, Fitbit and Apple. The study found that these devices could indicate changes in resting heart rate “up to nine and a half days before symptoms appear” in patients with coronavirus.
Researchers were able to identify nearly two-thirds of COVID-19 cases four to seven days before symptoms, according to the study.
The team also created an alarm system that alerts users that their heart rate has been elevated for an extended period.
“We set the alarm with some sensitivity to go off every two months or so,” said Michael Snyder, a professor at Stanford University who led the study. “Regular fluctuations do not sound the alarm – only large and lasting changes will.
“It’s a big deal because it warns people not to go out and meet them,” he added. When Snyder’s alarm went off recently, for example, he canceled an in-person meeting in case he was contagious.
Snyder went on to explain that this type of technology can help compensate for flaws in testing strategies. “The problem is, you can’t do [testing] on people all the time, as these devices measure you 24/7, ”he explained.
Apple did not fund or participate in any of these studies, unlike other smartwatch and wearable device companies that commissioned similar studies, such as Oura Health and Whoop.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a model last week showing how the Apple Watch and other smartwatches can help curb the spread of COVID-19 from asymptomatic carriers.
FTC: We use automatic income generating affiliate links. More.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more information on Apple:
[ad_2]
Source link