A Pilot Study Using a Smartwatch to Search for Biomarkers of Heart Rate Variability in Active Ulcerative Colitis.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Cardiology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Autonomic dysfunction is linked to ulcerative colitis (UC) activity.
• Heart rate variability (HRV) is a potential digital biomarker for assessing autonomic function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate HRV using a smartwatch as a digital biomarker in patients with active UC.
• To correlate HRV parameters with disease activity indices in UC.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving nine patients with active UC.
• Continuous nighttime HRV data collected via a smartwatch (Fitbit Inspire2™).
• Daily input of Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) scores via a smartphone application for 3 months.

Main Results:

• Weak inverse relationships observed between SCCAI scores and parasympathetic activity indices (RMSSD, HF) and total autonomic activity (LF).
• RMSSD, HF, and LF were significantly higher in patients with active UC.
• LF demonstrated the strongest correlation with bowel urgency scores.

Conclusions:

• Longitudinal nighttime HRV measured by smartwatch is associated with UC disease activity.
• RMSSD and HF, indicators of parasympathetic nervous system activity, show promise as digital biomarkers for UC.