New technology, according to scientists, may fundamentally alter how we perceive the actions of our hormones.
The U-Rhythm sensor, created by Bristol researchers, has, in a "world-first" clinical trial, shown the pattern of hormone levels over a 24-hour period.
Scientists claim that by taking readings for up to 72 hours, it more accurately detects the early stages of hormonal disorders.
It might alter the way diseases affecting the stress hormone system are identified.
Every 20 minutes, samples from beneath the skin are taken using the blood-free device that is worn around the waist. The technique permits sampling for up to 72 hours per session while doing work, sleeping, and other daily activities.
It can detect symptoms of diseases like diabetes and Addison's disease that are brought on by abnormally high levels of stress hormones, according to researchers.
It was the first time changes had been measured in this way, according to the universities of Bristol, Birmingham, and Bergen, which worked together on the project.
It used to be necessary to take numerous blood samples from a person upon admission to a hospital or research facility in order to determine whether they had the proper amount of hormone levels. This process can be time-consuming, uncomfortable, and stressful.
According to co-author Professor Stafford Lightman: "Our results emphasize the importance of measuring change, not just sampling at single points. They also provide significant new insights into how the stress hormone system functions in healthy people.
It also emphasizes how crucial it is to measure hormones while you sleep, which was previously impossible outside of a hospital. " .
214 healthy volunteers' samples were analyzed in the study over a 24-hour period. The group was able to develop adrenal hormone profiles of healthy individuals under actual environmental conditions by using data collected during that time.
A new class of "dynamic markers" was created by mathematicians from the University of Birmingham's Centre for Systems Modelling and Quantitative Biomedicine using the research to better understand how a healthy hormonal profile should appear depending on an individual's sex, age, body mass index, and other characteristics. .
Dr. Eder Zavala, assistant professor of mathematics at the university and the study's lead mathematician, called this "a fascinating new technology that is enabling us to learn new things about how hormonal regulation works.".
The study's principal investigator, endocrinologist Dr. Thomas Upton of Bristol University, added: "The data we have gathered form an entirely new reference range that has the potential to revolutionize how diseases of the stress hormone system are diagnosed and treated. " .
An EU Horizon 2020 project grant was used to fund the development of the U-Rhythm sensor, which costs £10,000 per unit.
Researchers anticipate that it will eventually be made accessible for use at home.
