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An artificial intelligence system to predict progression of immune dysfunction in healthy older patients
E M Mahler1, R M Schmidt, V I Kvitash
1Center for Preventive Medicine and Health Research, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco.
Insights
Balascopy, a novel system, identifies early immune dysfunction by analyzing T4/T8 lymphocyte counts and health behaviors. This approach creates unique patient bodyprints for individualized health assessments.
Area of Science:
- Immunology and Health Informatics
- Biomedical Data Analysis
Background:
- Established reference values for immune function (T4/T8 lymphocyte counts, B lymphocyte counts) were assessed in healthy individuals in 1983.
- Early detection of immune dysfunction is crucial for proactive health management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce Balascopy, a computer-assisted pattern recognition system for identifying immune dysfunction.
- To demonstrate the utility of individualized health profiles ('bodyprints') for detecting subtle imbalances.
Main Methods:
- Utilized T4 and T8 lymphocyte counts, 7 health index behavioral subscores, and 24 routine clinical laboratory tests.
- Employed Balascopy, a pattern recognition system, to analyze integrated clinical and behavioral data.
- Developed unique 'bodyprints' for comprehensive individual health status profiling.
Main Results:
- Balascopy facilitates the identification of individuals with early, otherwise undetectable immune dysfunction.
- A longitudinal case study demonstrated progressive immune dysfunction detected through balascopic evaluation, despite mild clinical symptoms.
- Integrated analysis of immunological, metabolic, and behavioral parameters provides an individualized health assessment.
Conclusions:
- Balascopy offers an unprecedented individualized approach to evaluating metabolic, immunological, and behavioral imbalances.
- The 'bodyprint' concept enables comprehensive health status profiling for early detection and management of health issues.
- This system holds potential for proactive healthcare by identifying subclinical health deviations.
Abstract:
In 1983, forty nine participants returning for their annual HEALTH WATCH evaluation were assessed for immune function status and served as healthy controls in an early study of "normal" reference values for T4 and T8 lymphocyte counts and T4/T8 lymphocyte ratios, B lymphocyte counts, and other laboratory tests for immune function then available. Balascopy, a computer-assisted pattern recognition system for detection, quantification and cognition of multiple imbalances among clinical laboratory and health behavioral parameters, facilitates identification of otherwise healthy individuals with evidence of early immune dysfunction. When the T4 and T8 immunology tests were combined with 7 health index behavioral subscores, and 24 routine clinical laboratory tests, we are able to obtain a bodyprint unique for each patient, providing a comprehensive health status profile specific for that individual. These bodyprints serve as tools for the evaluation of otherwise undetectable metabolic, immunological and behavioral imbalances in a given patient in an unprecedented individualized manner. We show here a longitudinal look at a balascopic evaluation of one patient who has evidence of progressive immune dysfunction with development of only mild clinical symptoms.
