Harnessing wearable technology for advanced management of cardiometabolic diseases

Researchers examined the role of wearable and digital health technologies in identifying, diagnosing, and tailoring treatments for cardiometabolic diseases through continuous health monitoring. The study by Ayya Keshet, Lee Reicher, Noam Bar, and Eran Segal was published on April 26, 2023.

"Nowadays, wearable devices allowing for continuous and longitudinal health screening outside the clinic can be used to monitor health and metabolic status from healthy individuals to patients at different stages of disease," researchers wrote in their study.

According to the study, a global surge in cardiometabolic diseases has heightened public health concerns. These ailments exhibit significant variability among individuals in terms of symptoms, severity, and response to treatments. Advancements in technology, particularly in the realm of wearable and digital devices, have opened new avenues for in-depth individual health profiling. These devices are reportedly capable of tracking a wide range of health indicators, including molecular, clinical, and lifestyle factors. The study says that the ability of wearable technology to provide continuous and comprehensive health screening outside traditional clinical settings marks a significant step forward in monitoring health and metabolic status in individuals, ranging from those in good health to patients at various disease stages.

The study presents a comprehensive analysis of the most relevant wearable and digital devices for monitoring cardiometabolic diseases, delving into how the data gathered from these devices can enhance our understanding of metabolic diseases, refine diagnosis methods, uncover early disease markers, and aid in crafting tailored treatment and prevention plans. Wearable technologies have become increasingly sophisticated, allowing for the detailed tracking of health-related outcomes. The study claims that the integration of these devices into everyday life and the healthcare system has resulted in an abundance of data, offering new insights for clinical practice, disease comprehension, and the identification of early markers.

Wearable and digital devices enable frequent and detailed health outcome assessments without necessitating regular clinical visits, according to the study. Their widespread adoption, including smartphones and smartwatches, facilitates extensive data collection across broad populations, regardless of health status. The portability of these tools simplifies extended measurements outside the clinic in daily life settings, and consequently, data from wearables can map the intricate dynamics of metabolic diseases, from early stages to tracking disease progression and treatment effectiveness. The study states that access to data from both healthy individuals and those at different stages of metabolic diseases can deepen our understanding of the interplay between risk factors and causes, potentially informing prevention and treatment strategies.

Springer Nature Limited: Ayya Keshet, Lee Reicher, et al.,Wearable and digital devices to monitor and treat metabolic diseases, Nature Metabolism (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00778-y