- AI and thermal cameras reveal facial temperature patterns related to chronic illnesses.
- Temperature differences in the face can help diagnose diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Research aims to promote healthy aging and early disease detection.
Researchers have found that variations in facial temperatures are linked to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which may assist doctors in diagnosing and detecting metabolic diseases. These temperature differences are not perceptible by touch but can be identified using AI-derived temperature patterns with a thermal camera and a data-trained model, according to Science Daily.
Jing-Dong Jackie Han, the corresponding author from Peking University in Beijing, stated that their tool has the potential to promote healthy aging and help people live disease-free. Han’s team previously used a 3D facial structure to predict biological age, which indicates how well the body is aging. They analyzed the facial temperatures of over 2,800 Chinese participants aged 21 to 88.
The researchers trained AI models with this data to predict a person’s thermal age. They identified several key facial regions where temperatures significantly related to age and health, such as the nose, eyes, and cheeks. The study revealed that the temperature of the nose decreases with age faster than other facial parts, suggesting that warmer noses indicate a younger thermal age. Conversely, temperatures around the eyes tend to increase with age.
Additionally, the study found that individuals with metabolic disorders like diabetes and fatty liver disease experienced faster thermal aging. Compared to their healthy peers, they had higher temperatures around the eyes. People with elevated blood pressure also showed higher cheek temperatures.
This research highlights the potential for using facial temperature patterns as a non-invasive method for early detection of chronic illnesses, thereby aiding in better health management and aging.
