Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Updated : December 8, 2014 12:23 PM IST
Washington, Dec. 06: A study published in International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology has revealed a new 'tongue test system' developed at the Department of Information Technology, Rajalakshmi Engineering College, in Chennai, India for faster diagnosis of diseases in remote parts of the country.
The new system works by taking inputs from the patient about the symptoms in the form of answers to standard questions. These inputs are combine with a digitized image of the patient's tongue to make a diagnosis. The digitized images capture inputs about the patient's tongue discoloration, engorgement, texture and other factors that might be linked to illness. (Read: 10 tips for better tongue hygiene)
Here are some probable diagnoses based on the digitized images the that new system allows:
The information is processed to offer a likely diagnosis to the health professionals. In the automated diagnostic system, the condition of the tongue along with the patient's other symptoms are taken into consideration to identify various illnesses like cold, flu, bronchitis, streptococcal throat infection, sinusitis, allergies, asthma, pulmonary edema, food poisoning and diverticulitis.
This new tongue analysis system allows diagnosis of fourteen different conditions but the team added that they will be able to add eye images and use those as an additional hard input for their neural network and so extend its repertoire significantly.
According to the study, the system is useful for diagnosis of diseases in remote areas who usually do not have health care services readily available.
Image source: Getty images
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