Artificial Intelligence and Diabetes: Two Worlds Colliding
Recognizing World Diabetes Day
On Saturday, November 14th, the world’s focus turned to World Diabetes Day: an annual global campaign raising awareness of diabetes. The International Diabetology Federation established the campaign in 1991. And they chose November 14th as it’s the birthday of Frederick Banting: the gentleman who discovered insulin.
Some 422 million people worldwide have diabetes. – World Health Organization
Diabetes is important both for me as a person who struggles with the disease — and for me as a professional, as my team and I continue to develop Suguard: an AI-based smartphone app that makes everyday life easier for people with the condition.
5 Ways Artificial Intelligence Improves Diabetes Care
There are plenty of ways to use AI for diabetes management. The following five are the most creative applications I know: if you’re aware of others, please send them my way.
1. Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis
Doctors are successfully leveraging deep learning to automate the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy: a complication associated with diabetes that can cause blindness. Specialists refer to AI-based screening to detect and monitor incidents of diabetic retinopathy, with 96% of patients satisfied with the service. The technology uses convolutional neural networks to indicate likely issues on a patient’s retina, boasting accuracy levels of 92.3% and specificity levels of 93.7%.
2. Disease Risk Modelling
Healthcare organizations use machine learning to model the risk of diabetes in a subset of a population. They do this by analyzing lifestyles, physical and mental health, and social media activity.
3. Diabetes Self-management
Diabetes self-management is crucial in treating the disease. Thanks to AI, patients are now empowered to self-manage their condition, using personal data to adapt their lifestyle and essentially act as an at-home physician.
4. Advanced Genomics
Genes hold the secret to your health. And advanced molecular phenotyping, epigenetic alterations, and the development of digital biomarkers are helping medical specialists advance the diagnosis and management of conditions like diabetes by leveraging genomics.
5. Complications Monitoring
Diabetes can lead to several common complications, including vascular pathologies (presenting as strokes, blood clots, or arterial disease) and peripheral neuropathies (presenting as weakness, numbness, and pain, often in the hands and feet).
AI Is Changing Lives
Artificial intelligence has had a transformational impact on the everyday lives of people with diabetes.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence has had a significant impact on the management of diabetes. From diagnosis to self-management, AI is revolutionizing the way patients live with the condition. As we continue to develop new technologies and applications, we hope to make a difference in the lives of those affected by diabetes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is World Diabetes Day?
A: World Diabetes Day is an annual global campaign raising awareness of diabetes.
Q: What is the significance of November 14th?
A: November 14th is the birthday of Frederick Banting, the gentleman who discovered insulin.
Q: What is Suguard?
A: Suguard is an AI-based smartphone app that makes everyday life easier for people with diabetes.
