Clinical Evidence of Wearable-Derived Heart Rate Variability for Detecting Systemic Inflammation: A Systematic Review
Siswishanto et al.
The finding, in our words
Wearable-derived heart rate variability, particularly the SDNN index from ECG-based devices, shows a consistent inverse relationship with C-reactive protein, suggesting potential as a non-invasive correlate of systemic inflammation. However, significant heterogeneity across studies and absence of formal diagnostic accuracy metrics mean it remains an exploratory biomarker requiring standardised validation before clinical adoption.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
A direct-to-participant, multichannel recruitment strategy enrolled 34,244 older adults into a virtual trial testing an Apple Watch based heart health programme with electrocardiogram and irregular rhythm notification features, achieving broad geographic and gender diversity but under-representing non-White ethnic groups.
Analysis of six studies revealed that decentralised clinical trial elements enhanced data completeness by enabling direct access to medical records, although this introduced a significant burden for data abstraction. The results suggest that decentralised approaches are not a universal solution but provide specific metrics that can help design fit-for-purpose trials.
In progressive multiple sclerosis, higher serum neurofilament light chain levels were associated with reduced daily step counts from wearables, while higher step counts were linked to lower sNfL. A ten percent increase in steps corresponded to a 0.015 decrease in sNfL z-score, suggesting rising sNfL may predict subsequent mobility decline.
Joseph et al., Annals of clinical and translational neurology (paywalled) · source ↗
Wearable-derived digital biomarkers have been accepted by regulatory agencies as endpoints in clinical trials for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, showing their potential to support decentralised diagnostics through patient-centric monitoring. This matters because it enables more sensitive and continuous assessment of disease progression outside clinical settings.
Ma et al., Neurology and therapy (paywalled) · source ↗
Higher plasma BDNF levels were associated with a lower prevalence of sarcopenia and better kinetic and spatiotemporal gait performance in older adults.
Zhang et al., Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · source ↗