A team of Japanese researchers has created an AI tool that can measure how severe a person’s eczema is by analyzing photos taken with a smartphone. The study, published in the journal Allergy, was conducted by experts from Keio University, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, and Teikyo University, along with Atopiyo LLC.
Eczema, or atopic dermatitis (AD), is a long-term skin condition that causes redness, itching, and swelling. Patients often track their symptoms using apps or social media, but self-reported feelings like itchiness don’t always match the actual severity of the rash. This makes it hard for doctors to assess the condition accurately.
To solve this, the researchers used data from Atopiyo, Japan’s biggest eczema platform, where over 28,000 users have shared more than 57,000 photos since 2018. Their AI model checks three things:
- Which body part is affected.
- Where the eczema patches are.
- How severe the rash is (based on redness, swelling, and scratching marks).
When tested on 220 images, the AI’s results closely matched assessments by dermatologists. However, the AI’s severity scores did not strongly match patients’ own reports of itchiness, showing that what people feel doesn’t always reflect how bad the rash looks.
Dr. Takeya Adachi, the lead researcher, said, “Many eczema patients find it hard to judge their condition. This AI tool helps by giving an objective measure using just a smartphone, which could improve treatment.”
The team plans to improve the AI by including more skin types, ages, and other eczema scoring methods. This could lead to better remote skin care tools for patients and doctors.
Source: technologynetworks
