The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is on the rise in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). Previously thought to affect 1.3 million Americans 18 and older, a 2016 CDC study found IBD affects approximately 3 million U.S. adults, Collectively referred to as IBD, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, the conditions involve chronic gastrointestinal tract inflammation. We’ve written about SetPoint, a vagus nerve stimulator used to reduce or prevent inflammation.
The triggers and symptoms for IBD can vary from one individual to another, which can make it difficult to know how to treat the disease. OSHI Health recently released OSHI, a mobile app developed to help people manage IBD. OSHI is a free app available for iOS and Android devices that assists IBD sufferers in four ways. OSHI’s Tracking and Insights feature help patients monitor symptoms and triggers to discover patterns that may worsen the disease. A Wellbeing Score tracker notifies patients when an inflammation flare-up may be imminent. OSHI’s Curated Content feature links to information and success stories. OSHI also helps patients get answers from gastroenterologists and other medical professionals to IBD-related questions.
Physicians are often unable to use patient-sourced data from biometric sensor-equipped wearables with scoring systems or formats that don’t relate to standard measures. With IBD, however, activity, nutrition, and other lifestyle factors vary widely in how they affect individuals. OSHI’s preformatted tracking tools and flare alerts can give both patients and their doctors useful information to understand and manage the disease.
