Smartphone app can predict asthma exacerbation by measuring night cough

Researchers have shown that nighttime cough, measured with a smartphone app, may indicate that asthma is worse.

Presented at an international conference of the European Respiratory Society, this study is the first of its kind to measure a patient’s series of night coughs and indicates that asthma is a sign of worsening.

The researchers say the app may represent a new way for patients and their doctors to monitor asthma and adjust medications to control their symptoms.

The study was led by Dr. Frank Lasurie of St. Gallen State Hospital, Switzerland. “So far, we know very little about nighttime coughs and what they mean, as we haven’t had a reliable tool to measure people’s asthma symptoms overnight.

“The current focus of our research group is to use technology and simple interventions to improve the management of chronic lung diseases such as asthma and chronic lung disease. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.. Since there are many possibilities for smartphones to monitor various symptoms and detect changes early, we have developed an app for measuring cough in collaboration with St. Gallen University and ETH Zurich research partners. “

There are 94 Asthma patient I was treated at two clinics in Switzerland. Lung Center, Canton Hospital, St. Gallen, and Medics Group Practice, Zurich. Each patient visited an asthma clinic at the beginning and end of the study to assess the use of asthma treatment, symptoms such as shortness of breath, and whether asthma affected the patient. Everyday life..

In the meanwhile, for 29 days, they smartphone I measured nighttime coughing noise in the bedroom running the app. The app also encouraged patients to report nightly symptoms.

The researchers found that the amount of nighttime cough varies greatly from patient to patient, but they also found a strong correlation between an increase in nighttime cough and a subsequent worsening. Asthma symptoms..

Dr. Rasuri said: “Our result is that a night cough Smartphone app Increased nighttime cough is an indicator that asthma is worse. Monitoring asthma is very important. If you can find early signs of worsening asthma, you can adjust your medication to prevent asthma attacks. “

Currently, they are using a smartphone app to monitor cough in asthmatics successfully. Dr. Rasuri and his team plan to try the same technique on people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Not involved in the research, Thierry Tolsters is the President of the European Respiratory Society and Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Leuven, Belgium. “Asthma is a common condition, affecting millions of people in Europe alone. Although it is not curable, it can usually be prevented by ensuring patients use the treatment as prescribed by their doctor. Well-controlled: Uncontrolled asthma leads to severe asthma attacks at school and at work.

“This study provides a potential new way to monitor patients for signs that asthma may be worse, and the fact that it works via smartphones makes it available to most patients. The app also coughs at night asthma And other respiratory disorders. With simple and usable hardware such as smartphones, Artificial intelligence It can handle “noisy” data, providing clinicians with additional eyes and ears to determine the actual clinical condition of the patient, as well as the doctor’s office.

“Asthma patients should talk to their doctors even if these technologies do not emphasize nighttime coughing or other increases in symptoms, or if they feel the symptoms are somehow worse. ”