Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Sept 6, 2024 4:24:15 GMT
Wearable activity trackers could offer early clues on COVID-19 - Published Sept 4, 2024
By: Stephanie Soucheray, MA
A new study from researchers at the University of South Australia reveals that wearable activity trackers, such as Apple Watches and Fitbits, show promise in detecting early signals of disease—particularly atrial fibrillation associated with stroke and COVID-19. The study is published in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth.
Wearable devices can track steps, hours slept, and blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, and skin temperature, as well as falls, the authors explain. In a review of 28 studies on these devices, 16 studies (57%) used wearables for diagnosis of COVID-19, 5 studies (18%) for atrial fibrillation, 3 studies (11%) for arrhythmia or abnormal pulse, 3 studies (11%) for falls, and 1 study (4%) for viral symptoms.
For COVID-19 diagnosis, wearables were accurate 87.5% of the time (95% confidence interval [CI], 81.6% to 93.5%), with a sensitivity of 79.5% (95% CI, 67.7% to 91.3%), and a specificity of 76.8% (95% CI, 69.4% to 84.1%). The authors said the wearables were as accurate as rapid antigen tests, or lateral flow devices.
As sensitive as clinical testing
Even more encouraging were the findings concerning atrial fibrillation: "The sensitivity and specificity of a 12-lead electrocardiogram for detecting atrial fibrillation have previously been shown to range between 93% and 97%, which appears similar to our sensitivity and specificity of 94.2% and 95.3%, respectively," the authors wrote.
For atrial fibrillation detection, pooled positive predictive value was 87.4% (95% CI, 75.7% to 99.1%), sensitivity was 94.2% (95% CI, 88.7% to 99.7%), and specificity was 95.3% (95% CI, 91.8% to 98.8%).
"Our systematic review shows that wearable activity trackers like Fitbits and Apple Watches have significant promise in detecting COVID-19 and heart conditions in real-world settings, which has the potential to improve personal health monitoring," said lead author Ben Singh, PhD, MPH, in a press release from the University of South Australia.
Study link: mhealth.jmir.org/2024/1/e56972
By: Stephanie Soucheray, MA
A new study from researchers at the University of South Australia reveals that wearable activity trackers, such as Apple Watches and Fitbits, show promise in detecting early signals of disease—particularly atrial fibrillation associated with stroke and COVID-19. The study is published in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth.
Wearable devices can track steps, hours slept, and blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, and skin temperature, as well as falls, the authors explain. In a review of 28 studies on these devices, 16 studies (57%) used wearables for diagnosis of COVID-19, 5 studies (18%) for atrial fibrillation, 3 studies (11%) for arrhythmia or abnormal pulse, 3 studies (11%) for falls, and 1 study (4%) for viral symptoms.
For COVID-19 diagnosis, wearables were accurate 87.5% of the time (95% confidence interval [CI], 81.6% to 93.5%), with a sensitivity of 79.5% (95% CI, 67.7% to 91.3%), and a specificity of 76.8% (95% CI, 69.4% to 84.1%). The authors said the wearables were as accurate as rapid antigen tests, or lateral flow devices.
As sensitive as clinical testing
Even more encouraging were the findings concerning atrial fibrillation: "The sensitivity and specificity of a 12-lead electrocardiogram for detecting atrial fibrillation have previously been shown to range between 93% and 97%, which appears similar to our sensitivity and specificity of 94.2% and 95.3%, respectively," the authors wrote.
For atrial fibrillation detection, pooled positive predictive value was 87.4% (95% CI, 75.7% to 99.1%), sensitivity was 94.2% (95% CI, 88.7% to 99.7%), and specificity was 95.3% (95% CI, 91.8% to 98.8%).
"Our systematic review shows that wearable activity trackers like Fitbits and Apple Watches have significant promise in detecting COVID-19 and heart conditions in real-world settings, which has the potential to improve personal health monitoring," said lead author Ben Singh, PhD, MPH, in a press release from the University of South Australia.
Study link: mhealth.jmir.org/2024/1/e56972