Emory University researchers have developed a cross-platform mobile app which can test anybody for anemia with just one photo of their fingernails.
Emory University researchers have developed a cross-platform mobile app which can test anybody for anemia with just one photo of their fingernails.
Anemia, which is the most common blood disorder in the world, affects nearly 2 billion people, and is caused by a lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin. The report details how patients who previously required an invasive blood test to determine hemoglobin levels, can now simply snap a photo to “analyze color and metadata of fingernail”
We initially targeted anemia, a blood condition characterized by low blood hemoglobin levels that afflicts >2 billion people. Our app estimates hemoglobin levels by analyzing color and metadata of fingernail bed smartphone photos and detects anemia (hemoglobin levels Via: Nature Communications
While these technical numbers are only easily interpreted by a knowledgable medical professional, gaining some insight on how the app’s accuracy was verified helps clarify its usefulness.
