Realtime monitoring with a wearable device reveals IBS-related changes

Journal Reference:

1. Rieko Nakata, Fumio Tanaka, Noriaki Sugawara, Yuichi Kojima, Toshihisa Takeuchi, Masatsugu Shiba, Kazuhide Higuchi, Yasuhiro Fujiwara. Analysis of autonomic function during natural defecation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome using real-time recording with a wearable device. PLOS ONE, 2022; 17 (12): e0278922 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278922

Associate Professor Fumio Tanaka and his research group at the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine recorded the autonomic nervous system activity of IBS patients and healthy subjects using a wearable device and tracked activities such as defecation and sleep. As a result, they found that unlike healthy subjects, the sympathetic nervous system of IBS patients was activated 2 minutes before defecation and persisted until 9 minutes after defecation. Furthermore, the activation of the sympathetic nervous system was found to be associated with greater abdominal pain and lower quality of life. The research results were published online in PLOS ONE on December 9, 2022.

“This research is characterized by the fact that autonomic nervous system functions are measured using a clothing-type wearable device, and that lifestyle events such as defecation and abdominal symptoms are input simultaneously in real time, using a smartphone application originally developed by our group. As a result, autonomic nervous system activity during defecation was accurately evaluated. We hope that further research will improve the quality of life of IBS patients and help elucidate the pathophysiology,” Professor Tanaka concluded.