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Scientists have created a bracelet capable of predicting seizures
The bracelet can detect 30 minutes before seizures occur.
Mayo Clinic specialists were responsible for creating this portable device, which will be very useful for epileptic patients, since the risk of premature death in people with epilepsy is three times higher.
Research on the gadget ensures that it identifies physiological characteristics in patients. The bracelet can predict the likelihood of an approaching seizure by recording factors such as internal heat level, pulse, blood flow, and sudden electrical changes.
The patients, suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy, who were part of the research, had an inherent neurostimulation unit that tested neuronal electrical movement.
In addition, they had two wristbands in which the data was transferred to an external storage system.
"Just as a reliable weather forecast helps people plan their activities, so the seizure forecast could help patients living with epilepsy adjust their plans if they know that a seizure is imminent." Noted Benjamin Brinkmann, an epilepsy specialist at Mayo Clinic.
"This study using a wrist device shows that it is possible to provide reliable seizure prognoses for people living with epilepsy without directly measuring brain activity," says Brinkmann.
Five out of six patients stated that the device warned correctly during the day. Patients could only use one bracelet daily, every day at the same time they had to change it. This investigation lasted between six and twelve months.
Being a chronic disease, epilepsy affects the nervous system for life and is not contagious.
Worldwide, more than 50 million people suffer from epilepsy according to the World Health Organization. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 1 in 10 people suffer from epilepsy and 3 in 10 are likely to suffer from it in the future.
