HELSINKI 24 Jan 2022 – Nocturnal coughing is a common but hard to monitor symptom of asthma. Helsinki-based KAMU Health Ltd. now has a solution for the problem: a smart phone application that listens to the user and recognizes coughing while they sleep. Cough monitoring gives the asthmatic objective insight to their nocturnal symptoms and helps to negotiate about treatment options with a healthcare professional.
Using medication as prescribed by the doctor and monitoring the symptoms are cornerstones in a successful asthma management. With careful self-management, it is possible to even get the disease in an almost symptom free state. However, there’s a stumbling block: nocturnal symptoms. How to monitor your lung state when you’re sleeping?
– Most asthmatics cough even during the night. Until now, their symptoms have been practically impossible to monitor reliably, says clinical physiologist, professor Yrjö Salorinne (MD, PhD). – A partner sleeping next to the asthmatic might be able to tell that nocturnal coughing happens, but not exactly how often. Coughing in itself reduces quality of sleep, but it can also trigger bronchial spasms. That’s why getting the cough under control can have a significant impact on the patient’s wellbeing.
Asthmatics in Finland are getting access to cough monitoring among the first
Nocturnal coughing can now be monitored with a self-management service developed by Finnish health tech company KAMU Health Ltd. In a smartphone app called KAMU Asthma, the user can log e.g. their use of medication, symptoms and PEF measurement results. What’s new is the cough monitoring feature, developed in partnership with the Swiss Resmonics: an artificial intelligence listens to the user while they sleep and recognizes any coughs on the audio. In the morning, the app shows a report about how much coughing there was during the night.
– Cough detection is state-of-the-art in asthma self-management. Asthmatics in Finland are now getting access to this feature among the very first, as it is only available in a few other European countries besides Finland, states Seppo Salorinne, Chief Product Officer at KAMU Health.
Yrjö Salorinne, Chair of Board at KAMU, believes the new feature will bring significant benefit to both the asthmatics and their clinicians. – For the first time, it is possible to monitor nocturnal coughing both reliably and cost-efficiently. Above all, it’s easy and effortless for the patient. The monitoring will make it possible for the patient and the doctor to measure a central symptom, one of which they may have been totally unaware of before.
Contact person:
Seppo Salorinne, Chief Product Officer
seppo@kamuhealth.com
KAMU Health Ltd develops and markets digital therapeutics for respiratory-illness care. Through technology, KAMU provides users and their healthcare providers with better data to support treatment while empowering users to take a proactive role in managing their conditions. All KAMU’s services are founded on the latest evidence-based medicine and comply with local medical regulations in the US and Europe. Read more: www.kamuhealth.com.
