Inflammatory bowel diseases, a group of conditions characterized by chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, affect the lives of nearly seven million people worldwide. The two most common inflammatory bowel diseases are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. A report published in 2020 describes a wearable device that detects the presence of biomarkers associated with inflammatory bowel diseases in sweat, potentially signaling a symptom flare.

A common feature of many inflammatory bowel diseases are periods of remission and relapse, often referred to as “flares.” During flares, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and C-reactive protein (CRP), are often elevated. IL-1 beta is a proinflammatory cytokine that mediates the body’s inflammatory response. CRP is a protein that increases in the blood with inflammation and infection.

The authors of the study developed a wearable, watch-like device that monitored levels of IL-1 beta and CRP in the sweat of 20 healthy adults (18 to 65 years old) over a period of up to 30 hours. They studied healthy people to help establish the levels of these two biomarkers in people without inflammatory bowel disease. A removable strip on the device collected the sweat, providing real-time monitoring of the biomarkers. They also measured the biomarkers using a standard assay and compared the two assessments.

They found that the device was highly accurate at measuring sweat levels of IL-1 beta and CRP, compared to measurements with the standard assay. Their findings demonstrate proof-of-feasibility for a wearable device that can signal an inflammatory bowel disease flare. Use of such a device may offer a non-invasive way to help people with inflammatory bowel disease track their inflammatory status and help guide clinicians' treatment decisions.

The authors of this study later measured pro-inflammatory proteins in the sweat of people with COVID-19 to predict cytokine storm, a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when an infection provokes an excessive immune response. They found that their sweat-based sensor detected cytokine levels in passive sweat that correlated with cytokine levels in the patients' blood.

• Link to study abstract.

• Learn more about wearable devices in this episode featuring Dr. Michael Snyder.

• Learn more about how scientists are using wearable devices to identify whether people might have an infection – including COVID-19 – in this clip featuring Dr. Michael Snyder.