AI Tackles Eczema Monitoring
A new artificial intelligence tool may soon make it easier for individuals with eczema to monitor their condition using only their smartphones. According to a study published on May 19 in the journal Allergy, researchers developed an AI model capable of accurately assessing eczema severity based on images taken with smartphone cameras.
Dr. Takeya Adachi, a dermatologist and assistant professor at Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo, explained that many people with eczema find it difficult to judge the severity of their symptoms. The AI system, he said, offers a more objective and immediate way to monitor the disease, potentially leading to better personal management and treatment outcomes.
Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, often involves recurring flare-ups that require ongoing evaluation and treatment adjustments. Traditional self-reporting methods don’t always match what a skin rash looks like, making consistent tracking difficult. To address this, researchers used a popular Japanese eczema app called Atopiyo, which has collected over 57,000 photos and user reports since 2018.
The AI was trained on a dataset of 880 images paired with user-reported itch levels, and then tested on 220 new images. The system demonstrated high performance, successfully identifying 98% of body regions and 100% of eczema-affected areas. Its assessments were consistent with evaluations from certified dermatologists and allergists.
Going forward, the research team aims to expand the AI’s capabilities by including a broader variety of skin tones, age groups, and more detailed clinical scoring criteria. They believe this innovation could significantly enhance the way patients and doctors manage eczema, offering a reliable digital method to track skin health and guide treatment decisions.
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