A company in Massachusetts (United States) has created software that distinguishes the cough of the common cold from that caused by flu, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia and a long list of respiratory problems.
The program compares the cough of the patient with a database of sounds generated by patients with all types of respiratory diseases, of both sexes and different ages and physical constitutions, as explained by the company STAR Analytical Services . ? Coughing is one of the most common symptoms, common to many diseases, but it is also a mode of transmission , ? says Suzanne Smith, the researcher responsible for the project. “However, until now we have not used technology to measure or understand what different types of cough mean.”
The new software will allow immediate diagnosis , helping to distinguish early which patients need antibiotics, or which ones it is advisable to isolate to prevent the disease from spreading. Although at the moment it only works on computers, its creators want to turn it into an application for mobile phones.
