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Electronic socks are able to detect whether someone has diabetes or not. (Photo: iStock)
JAKARTA – Health technology is increasingly advanced with various sophisticated discoveries. Recently, electronic socks have appeared which can detect whether someone has diabetes or not. Not only that, these magic socks can also be used as a tool to help treat diabetes patients.
Reporting from Interesting Engineering, Wednesday (10/4/2024), these socks have been tested by the European Institute of Cardiology and the results of the study have been published.
Normally, the body breaks down food into glucose. When it enters the bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that signals cells to absorb it. In people with diabetes, this important process does not function properly. Cells don’t get the energy they need and sugar builds up in the blood.
In the new study, doctors sought to investigate how early they can detect diabetes and how well they can monitor the heart. They gave 40 participants socks with ballistocardiogram (BCG) sensors to wear when standing and walking. Half of them suffer from diabetes. The other half doesn’t.
At the same time, they performed an EKG, a standard electrocardiogram assessment of their heart. That way, the doctor can evaluate the accuracy of the sock. “BCG detects body movement as the heart ejects blood, and could potentially be used to measure heart rate and pressure exerted on the legs when walking.”
And the socks did the trick. The study found that they could detect diabetes identifies patients with poor circulation, and provides accurate heart measurements such as EKG.
A comparison of BCG between diabetics and controls showed that diabetics “generated higher pressure in the metatarsal area of the foot when walking.”
“The new BCG sock produces accurate heart rate measurements as demonstrated by values nearly identical to those of the EKG,” said study author Dr. Ki Hong Lee.
2024-04-10 06:09:37
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