The European Society of Cardiology just published the results of a study that evaluated an electronic sock as a diagnostic and treatment tool for diabetes.
Normally, the body breaks down food into glucose. When it enters the bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that signals the cells to absorb it. In patients with diabetes, this essential process malfunctions. Cells don’t get the energy they need and sugar builds up in the blood.
A sock that diagnoses diabetes earlier
1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year on top of the 537 million who already have it worldwide. Early detection can delay the onset of the disease. It can also prevent serious complications such as damage to every organ, more or less. Due to how the disease presents itself, however, it’s hard to catch in the early stages.
High blood pressure damages nerves and blood vessels. It ends up affecting the way people walk, according to the study author in a press release, Dr. Ki Hong Lee, which can lead to other problems such as ulcers. Left untreated, they can become infected. Amputation is needed in the most severe cases.
“Identifying walking issues early using an electronic sock would enable patients to learn a healthy walking style and prevent serious foot problems,” Dr. Ki Hong Lee says. Early symptoms include “numbness, tingling, pain, and loss of feeling.”
Furthermore, people with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing heart issues. Doctors have found that they could tackle two issues at once with a sock.
Monitoring the heart
In a recent study, doctors sought to investigate how early they could detect diabetes and how well they could monitor the heart. They gave 40 participants a sock with a ballistocardiogram sensor (BCG) to wear while standing and walking. Half of them had diabetes. The other half did not. At the same time, they performed an ECG, a standard electrocardiogram assessment of their heart. That way, doctors could evaluate how the sock measured up against it.
“A BCG detects body motion as the heart ejects blood, and could potentially be used to measure heart rate and pressure exerted on the feet when walking.”
And the sock worked. The study found that they were able to detect diabetes, identify patients with poor circulation, and provide as accurate of a heart measurement as an ECG.
The BCG comparison between diabetes patients and controls showed the former to “exert higher pressure in the metatarsal area of the foot while walking.”
“The novel BCG sock produced accurate measurements of heart rate as indicated by the nearly identical values as ECG,” Dr Lee concluded.
“The pressure measurements showed that the sock could identify patients with diabetes, and could also pinpoint patients with diabetes and poor circulation. Taken together, the results suggest that the electronic sock could be an easy, non-invasive way to find patients with diabetes who could benefit from gait training to prevent foot complications.”
