Treatable, and often curable, thyroid disorders are negatively impacting the quality of life of thousands of people living in the UAE. Dubai-based GluCare Integrated Diabetes Centre is now making things easier for the patients. Its pioneering use of digital therapeutics (DTx) and Remote Continuous Data Monitoring (RCDM) offers new, unobtrusive forms of treatment, plus round the clock attention by using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
GluCare Integrated Diabetes Center has found that around 1 in 20 people in the Emirates live with some form of thyroid disorder, including the most common called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Symptoms for disorders such as Hashimoto’s can manifest themselves in feelings of fatigue, depression, increased anxiety, or nervousness as well as trembling of the hands, hair loss, palpitations, constipation, menstrual disturbances, or an enlarged thyroid gland.
Hashimoto’s patients also live with a 30% chance of the disorder developing into thyroid cancer, the sixth most common form of cancer and predicted to be the third most common in women by 2025. The disease increases the likelihood of developing malignant thyroid nodules, solid or fluid-filled lumps that form in the thyroid, a small gland at the base of the neck. Nodules can be detected by physically examining the area, known as palpation, or ultrasound.
According to the Dubai Health Authority, hundreds of patients seek treatment for thyroid disorders every month, with 30% unaware of the condition. Research has also found that many patients only seek treatments when they experience severe symptoms.
Treatments for thyroid disorders are often uncomfortable, slow, and obstructive to a patient’s lifestyle. They include titrating medication, a process where drugs are applied gradually over several visits to a clinic. Dosages are based on a person’s weight, gender, or medical history. Thyroid ultrasounds are also used to detect anomalies such as nodules, although studies have shown that 70% of ultrasounds return uncertain results.
As a result, many patients experience a lack of personalised treatment, slow access to appropriate doses of medication and indeterminate diagnoses that can lead to an unnecessary thyroidectomy to remove the thyroid.
GluCare’s pioneering use of digital therapeutics (DTx) and Remote Continuous Data Monitoring (RCDM) now offers patients new, unobtrusive forms of treatment plus round the clock attention by using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Dr Ihsan Almarzooqi, GluCare Co-Founder and Managing Director, said: “As someone who suffers from Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I am only too aware how thyroid disorders can impact a person’s life. These disorders affect around 5% of the UAE’s population, so making the most effective and unobtrusive treatments available is important.
“As a patient, I was left extremely frustrated by the process of titrating medication. Time consuming, uncomfortable and restrictive, I felt there was a better alternative that could improve people lives.”
As leaders in data-driven personalised medicine and the use of DTx and RCDM methods, GluCare utilises wearable AI-assisted bands to remotely monitor a patient’s reaction to thyroid medication as a function of heart rate, sleep patterns, skin temperature and weight changes all from the comfort of their home.
Practical and personalised, the clinical-grade band allows for remote observation of the process of titrating medication, with staff at GluCare regularly interacting with a patient while receiving online updates. The care team, alongside the AI, continuously monitors the patient and are able to address areas of concern.
“GluCare’s use of DTx and RCDM treatments gives patients the freedom to live their lives while also experiencing high levels of care and attention. AI provides constant data so medical staff can assess, monitor and advise patients 24/7 with professional and empathetic care delivered in real time instead of waiting until the next appointment,” added Ali Hashemi, Co-Founder and Chairman of GluCare, who was also diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis several years ago.
“The key to treating thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is early detection. There are identifiable risks to how they develop, including a family history of enlarged thyroid glands, exposure to radiation and certain hereditary and environmental issues. All of which makes a medical check-up, swift diagnosis and treatment essential.”
When it comes to diagnosing thyroid nodules, GluCare’s combination of an endocrinologist and AI provides a more sensitive and objective method of evaluation than examination or ultrasound. By using this advanced method, GluCare greatly increases the accuracy of thyroid imaging, reducing the need for painful tissue sample tests, collected via a needle in the patient’s throat, and removing the possibility of surgery in all but the most serious circumstances.
GluCare Integrated Diabetes Centre is a 10,000 square feet facility situated on Al Wasl Road.
