Apple Watch Predicts Pain Levels of Sickle Cell Diseases Patients, Study Says

Researchers discovered that Apple Watch could predict pain levels for patients with Sickle Cell disease. The study collected data from admitted patients from Duke University's Day Hospital between July and September 2021.

Apple Watch Predicting Pain Levels

Sickle Cell disease, or SCD, occurs in a person when their red blood cells have an unusual shape. Usually, they are shaped like a sickle, which makes the blood more difficult to flow through the body. Through this, people with SCD become at risk from chronic anemia, stroke, and vas occlusive crisis.

Phone Arena reported that researchers from Duke University's Day Hospital researched to understand the pain experience better and find trends and tools to predict pain from VOCs. This study also aimed to create machine learning algorithms for the watch to predict pain scores from VOC.

Admitted patients from the hospital were approached and given an Apple Watch Series 3 that they needed to wear for the duration of their hospitalization. Researchers collected pain scores and vital signs from the electronic medical boards and, as per their combined data and applied machine learning models.

As per the data collected from the Apple Watch that includes heart rate, heart rate variability (calculated), and calories, it can be helpful for patients and doctors as it is a novel and feasible approach for its low-cost method. MyHealthApply reported that this could benefit clinicians and individuals with SCD in treating VOCs.

"The strong performance of the model in all metrics validates feasibility and the ability to use data collected from a noninvasive device, the Apple Watch, to predict the pain scores during VOCs," the researchers noted. They collected 15,683 data points based on the average study participant that wore the watch for 2 hours and 17 minutes.

Previously, some doctors believed that medication before the pain gets out of control is needed for the patient to prevent pain levels from rising. But through the Apple Watch and its prediction of pain levels for SCD patients, 9to5Mac reported that doctors would be much more comfortable giving patients enough medication based on the group they are experiencing.

Discovering Blood Clots

Just this month, it was reported that an Apple Watch just discovered a deadly disease from a man that kept tabs on his respiration rate and blood oxygen levels. Ken Counihan was alerted by his watch regarding his elevated breathers after detecting patterns or fluctuations.

As he opted to go to the doctor, he was given medication for bronchitis but was notified again by his watch that his blood oxygen level was dropping. He was discovered with blood clots in both lungs. Per the doctors, he may not have woken up the following morning, but thanks to his Apple Watch, he was alerted early.