Voice changes recorded on a smartphone can indicate a flare up of COPD symptoms – Our study featured by the European Respiratory Society
*Vienna, Austria – September 2024* – Initial results from the COPD study, a collaboration of Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC) and Zana, were highlighted by the European Respiratory Society in its industry-leading research coverage. Read the full press release here.
COPD is a progressive lung disease and the third leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Exacerbations, marked by worsening symptoms such as difficulty breathing and coughing, often require urgent medical treatment.
The study [1] was presented at the ERS Congress in Vienna by Loes van Bemmel, researcher in the department of respiratory medicine at MUMC. She said: “It’s vital to detect exacerbations as early as possible so appropriate treatment can be given. Unfortunately, it has proved difficult to detect exacerbations at their onset, since symptoms usually start when patients are at home.
“Patients and their families have told us that there are voice changes before and during exacerbations. We wanted to see if we could record patients’ speech at home and analyse these recordings for early signs of an exacerbation.”
In this pilot study, 28 COPD patients used a smartphone app co-developed with Zana to record their voices daily over 12 weeks. Analysis of these recordings revealed distinct voice changes—such as increased pitch and jitter (a breathy or hoarse quality)—correlated with the onset of exacerbations.
Distinct differences were observed between patients' voice recordings on a normal day and those taken at the onset of an exacerbation, supporting the hypothesis that speech patterns change significantly even at the earliest stage of a flare-up.
Professor Frits Franssen, who is Secretary of the ERS assembly on respiratory clinical care and physiology, Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Maastricht University Medical Centre, Netherlands and not involved in the research, stated: “COPD is a common and serious condition. When symptoms flare up, it can lead to a long-term deterioration in health and can even be fatal. If we spot these exacerbations early and give treatment, we know that serious complications can often be averted. At the moment, that means the patient or their family deciding something is wrong then seeing a doctor for assessment and tests.
“This research is interesting because it suggests that the early signs of a COPD exacerbation can be picked up via changes in a patient’s voice recorded on a smartphone. This finding needs to be tested in a larger study. If it can be validated, this could lead to a quick and efficient system to alert a patient and their doctor that treatment is needed. Because it works via a smartphone, voice analysis could be used by anyone, at anytime and anywhere. This could ultimately save money, time and patients’ lives.”
These findings are promising, yet preliminary and further validation is necessary. Zana is actively working on advancing its technology to enable early detection of exacerbations within the home environment. Zana remains committed to exploring the potential of voice biomarkers to support personalized medicine, enhance healthcare quality, and ensure timely intervention for better patient outcomes.
[1] Abstract no: PA4372 “Detecting the onset and peak symptoms of exacerbations of COPD by analyzing speech”, by Loes van Bemmel et al; Presented in session, “Man and Machine: getting the balance right to support respiratory care and clinical skills” at 08:00-09:30 CEST on Tuesday 10 September 2024. [https://live.ersnet.org/programme/session/92951]
Read the full press release here.
