App tracks symptoms of chronic illness in real time
The LivLyme Foundation has launched the LonghaulTracker, an app that tracks symptoms of chronic illnesses in real time.
Created by 18-year-old LivLyme Foundation Founder Olivia Goodreau, the app is designed for the millions of people living with long-haul diseases.
It allows users to record their symptoms, track them over time, and download a report for caregivers and medical providers.
To develop the LonghaulTracker app, Olivia and the LivLyme Foundation worked closely with numerous patients, caregivers, doctors, university researchers and health policy leaders.
The app can be used by people living with Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, long COVID, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, heart disease, and other long-haul diseases.
Many of these conditions are often difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are challenging to quantify and measure. The added clarity and credibility of having an established record of symptoms on the LonghaulTracker app may lead to a faster, more accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Get diagnosed sooner
“I was misdiagnosed countless times before my Lyme disease diagnosis at 7 years old, and I wish the LonghaulTracker app was available at that time,” said Olivia. “I’m excited for what this app can do to help track symptoms and eventually help physicians make more accurate diagnoses.”
The LonghaulTracker app is the second app created by Olivia. When she was 13 years old, she developed the idea for the TickTracker app, which is a citizen-science geo-location app that allows users to track and report tick sightings and bites in real-time.
It combines user-contributed data along with regional, state and national tick-reported data from multiple sources to create a heat-map of tick activity around the globe.
There is a significant need in the market for a solution that makes tracking long-haul symptoms simple. For example, approximately 476,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year, and roughly 5-20% of those patients experience long-haul symptoms known as “chronic Lyme.”
Additionally, up to 23 million people have developed long COVID since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We believe the LonghaulTracker app will be a game changer for people living with long-haul symptoms throughout their diagnosis and treatment journeys,” said LivLyme Foundation Executive Director Holiday Goodreau.
“This immediate impact, coupled with our long-term vision for the app to provide data to vetted scientific researchers, is an exciting step in the right direction for everyone working to improve the lives of those with long-haul diseases.”
The LonghaulTracker app is available through the App Store. Learn more at LonghaulTracker.com.
SOURCE: LivLyme Foundation
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