Many of us nowadays have some sort
of fitness tracker on our bodies. In the past, the fad was wearing a ticking pedometer,
which, somewhat inaccurately, measured steps as the day went on. Now, whether
it’s a Fitbit, a Garmin, or some sort of smart watch, these sleek sensors can
be seen on wrists of people of all genders, race, and age. And for those that
don’t have those fashionable fitness statements, even smartphones track steps
and flights of stairs walked during the day. But, unknown by most, these
sensors can serve more than just counting steps and calories. The data
collected from these wearable trackers can be used in various fields of
biomedical research. These sensors, which can be preset with the wearer’s age,
height, and weight, can collect and measure relatively accurate data that can
be then used to predict various markers for cardiovascular diseases. Because of
the widespread interest in these sensors, a lot of effort has gone into
investigating how else these trackers can be used and what else they can
provide for the individual and the population.
Although there isn’t a lot of
comprehensive data out there that compares wearable data with other data types,
the data garnered from these sensors can still be of use. The most common thing
that can be identified from this activity data is that of an enlarged heart, or
“Athlete’s heart” as it is usually called. Previously, this issue was thought
to only affect seriously competitive athletes, but now has been found to be in
other athletes as well. The use of knowing if an individual may have an Athlete’s
heart? It can be used to differentiate between the benign and dangerous data
read from an EKG; it can prevent misdiagnoses and unnecessary stress in the
clinic.
With this, the same data can also
be used to predict the levels of circulation of ceramides, a type of lipids
that have been associated with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Active
participants typically have a lower circulating level of ceramides than their
non-active counterparts, information that would have previously relied on
surveys or questionnaires.
In an interesting case, a Fitbit
has been attributed with saving a man’s life by detecting a heart attack before
it happened. After a notification from his wearable sensor alarmed him about a
dangerous heart rate, he was able to make it to the hospital in time to receive
life-saving medical attention. In another case, a woman speak recognizes her
Fitbit as her guardian angel. Monitoring her heart rate and noticing the
malignant daily increase, she was able to get to a hospital and be diagnosed
with a pulmonary embolism, blood clots in the lungs, which is so often fatal. Both
of these cases are obviously extreme, but they speak to the importance of these
devices nonetheless.
The data these sensors provide seem
to have endless possibilities and uses. Not only do they support fitness and avoiding sedentary lifestyles, they also can provide useful medical data. Whether it’s used by someone trying to
ensure they move enough during the day, someone trying to lose weight, or
someone monitoring their heart rate, these sensors have proved themselves to be
an amazing piece of technology. The future in personalizable medicine involving these wearable trackers is
bright.
References:
I agree with your opinion in this piece. I think fitness trackers have been a great way to bring technology into medicine for everyday people. They are often a great motivator to get people excited about healthier lifestyles. Hopefully, these trackers can help us to better personalize health care and prevent a variety of diseases and conditions.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting. Most of the time, I think of fitness trackers as pretty pointless - if you want to get exercise, get exercise. Why does it matter exactly how long you've been working out or what your heart rate is like? - but now, thanks to the information you've provided in your post, I might start to look at them in a new light. Although at least a little luck has to be involved, it's pretty crazy that someone's life was saved by their fitness tracker!! Great work.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion in this piece. I believe there is great potential in these devices for creating personalized medicine or just health profile in general. In the future, I think these devices will be as common and cheap as mobile phones are nowadays
ReplyDeleteIt is truly inspiring that we are closer to having wearable diagnostics tools. I had never heard of athletes heart, and it is interesting that simple fitness trackers can and have been used to diagnose problems like this. Maybe these devices will grow in both capability and prevalence, leading to a day when the device on our arm knows what it wrong with the body. This kind of change could revolutionize emergency care. Could it predict when a heart attack was about to happen and call for EMS? Or perhaps sense the disturbances that lead to strokes? I'm tingling with excitement at this prospect.
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