A computer algorithm could give you an instant diagnosis of diabetes, cancer or tell you if you are at risk of a stroke simply by taking a photo of your tongue.
The program, developed by Iraqi and Australian researchers, has achieved 98 percent accuracy in predicting various diseases by analyzing the color of the human tongue.
The proposed imaging system, which replicates traditional Chinese medicine, can diagnose diabetes, stroke, anemia, asthma, liver and gallbladder conditions, COVID-19 and a variety of vascular and gastrointestinal problems.
Engineering researchers from Middle Technical University (MTU) and the University of South Australia (UniSA) used 5,260 images to train machine learning algorithms to detect tongue colour in a series of experiments.
Scientists predict that smartphones will one day be used to diagnose diseases in this way.
A camera placed 20 centimeters away from the patient captured the color of his tongue and the imaging system predicted his health status in real time.
Examining the tongue for signs of disease is a 2,000-year-old practice widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, explains lead author Professor Ali Al-Naji.
A new one paper Published in Technologies, it describes how the proposed system analyses the colour of the tongue to provide an immediate diagnosis, confirming that AI is the key to many advances in medicine.
In the study, two teaching hospitals in the Middle East provided 60 tongue images of patients with various health problems.
A camera placed 20 centimeters away from the patient captured the color of his tongue and the imaging system predicted his health status in real time.
The artificial intelligence (AI) model was able to relate the color of the tongue to the disease in almost all cases.
Examining the tongue for signs of disease is also a 2,000-year-old practice widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, explains lead author, MTU and UniSA Associate Professor Ali Al-Naji.
“The color, shape and thickness of your tongue can reveal a litany of health problems,” he said.
‘People with diabetes typically have a yellow tongue; cancer patients have a purple tongue with a thick, greasy coating; and patients with acute stroke have a red tongue with an unusual shape.
‘A white tongue may indicate anemia; people with severe cases of COVID-19 are likely to have a bright red tongue; and an indigo or violet tongue indicates vascular and gastrointestinal problems or asthma.’
UniSA co-author Professor Javaan Chahl says a smartphone could be used to diagnose diseases in this way in the future.
“These results confirm that computerized tongue analysis is a safe, efficient, easy-to-use and affordable method for disease detection, supporting modern methods with centuries-old practice,” he said.
