Heart Disease can be cured using Artificial Intelligence

 According to a new study published in the European Heart journal a selfie’s could be used to detect heart diseases. This study shows by using a person photograph one can detect coronary artery disease by using a deep learning computer algorithm. This algorithm needs to be developed further by testing it on a larger number of people belonging to different ethnicities. This technique has tools that can detect possible heart disease in General population or people who are at the risk of  developing heart disease in the near future. This is the very first step toward the development of tools whose principles are based on deep machine learning and  they could be helpful in assessing the risk of heart diseases either in clinics or in patients who want to perform their own screening. This research was led by Professor Zhe Zheng Who is the main research leading person and vice chancellor of the National Centre For cardiovascular Disease. He says that his ultimate goal is to develop self reported applications in communities who are at higher risk of developing heart problems. However the algorithm needs to be refined further by testing it on different communities, populations and ethnicities. Certain facial features are known to be associated with risk of heart disease like greying and thinning of hair, wrinkle and small yellow deposits of cholesterol under the eyes usually around eyelids and arcus cornea. The research was carried out in different patients admitted in different hospitals in China and they were undergoing imaging procedures to investigate coronary artery disease. After that trained nurses took four facial photos with the help of a digital camera. Patients were also interviewed about their diets and lifestyles. Radiologist also reviewed patients’ angiograms to train and validate the algorithm. The test was successful and outperformed the existing method of predicting heart disease and its risks in the population. Facial recognition alone is successful in predicting results at large scale and can be useful in underfunded areas and with low medical facility areas. The test has low sensitivity so before its implementation on a large scale it should be tested on a larger population. Fear of misuse of genetic information in AI limited its use in medical healthcare and sciences.

Tech giant Microsoft and Apollo Hospitals will work to develop and deploy new machine learning models to predict patient risk for heart disease and assist doctors on treatment plans, both the companies said in a statement.

The AI Network for healthcare is part of Microsoft Healthcare NExT aimed to accelerate healthcare innovation through artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

The team is already working on an AI-powered Cardio API (application program interface) platform.

“AI Network for healthcare aims to democratize artificial intelligence by empowering healthcare providers with faster, intuitive and predictable solutions and reducing the disease burden. The systems of intelligence we create can change the lives of patients and the work of medical practitioners enabling accessible healthcare to all. said Dr. Peter Lee, Corporate Vice President, AI & Research, Microsoft.

Apollo said given its large clinical database and significant pool of clinical talent, this partnership will help impact the global burden of cardiac disease.

"This collaboration with Microsoft’s path-breaking technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will help better predict, prevent and manage heart disease in the country. While we commence this in India, we will validate the algorithms and work towards creating a global consortium to tackle multiple conditions in cardiovascular disease” said Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals .

Apollo said over last two years it has been working with a dynamic partner ecosystem of local, regional and global organisations to bring the power of AI to Healthcare. It had first started this with eye care