Research conducted by Penn Medicine has revealed that ongoing monitoring of wrist temperature can provide valuable insights into the likelihood of developing various health conditions in the future. The study, featured in Nature Communications and led by Dr. Carsten Skarke, highlights the potential of integrating emerging technology like smartwatches with health monitoring to create digital biomarkers that could assess disease risk and guide treatment decisions.
The research involved collecting data from over 92,000 participants as they went about their daily routines, including sleep. Researchers monitored the changes in their wrist body temperature throughout the day and night, taking into account patterns influenced by natural body clocks, sleep habits, and environmental factors like temperature changes during sleep. They discovered that the changes in wrist temperature over a day can be linked to a person's health. When these temperature changes become less pronounced, it could be a sign of a higher risk for chronic diseases.
The study found that reduced temperature variations between day and night wrist readings were associated with a higher likelihood of developing up to 73 different disease conditions in the future. Participants with less temperature difference had a 91 percent increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a 69 percent increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, a 25 percent increased risk of renal failure, a 23 percent increased risk of hypertension, and a 22 percent increased risk of pneumonia.
"These findings indicate the potential to marry emerging technology with health monitoring in a powerful new way," said Dr. Carsten Skarke. "For example, there are many who have smartwatches around their wrists which already include skin temperature sensors. In the future, this information may be leveraged with their care teams as a digital biomarker, to understand their risk to develop certain diseases and to navigate treatment or preventative care options."
The research team has organized their valuable findings into an accessible website called the Temperature Biorhythm Atlas. It serves as a resource for healthcare professionals and individuals to better understand the relationship between wrist temperature patterns and disease risk.
This study expands on previous research that connected disrupted temperature rhythms to conditions like metabolic syndrome and diabetes. The research conducted by the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that a broader range of health issues can be linked to irregular temperature patterns, as assessed by the amplitude of wrist temperature variations over a 24-hour period. The researchers believe that future studies could build upon this research by incorporating fresh data gathered through smartwatch-based measurements and including a broader range of participants.
Dr. Skarke emphasizes the potential of integrating emerging technology with health monitoring, stating, "These findings indicate the potential to marry emerging technology with health monitoring in a powerful new way." The ongoing precise digital tracking of skin temperature through wearable devices like smartwatches could offer profound medical insights and help individuals and healthcare professionals identify disease risks and make informed treatment decisions.
Overall, the research conducted by Penn Medicine highlights the potential of wrist temperature monitoring as a valuable tool in assessing disease risk and guiding preventative care and treatment options. As technology continues to advance, these findings open up new possibilities for leveraging wearable devices to improve health monitoring and disease management.
