A wearable patch for continuous analysis of thermoregulatory sweat at rest.
Hnin Yin Yin NyeinMallika BariyaBrandon TranChristine Heera AhnBrenden Janatpour BrownWenbo JiNoelle DavisAli JaveyPublished in: Nature communications (2021)
The body naturally and continuously secretes sweat for thermoregulation during sedentary and routine activities at rates that can reflect underlying health conditions, including nerve damage, autonomic and metabolic disorders, and chronic stress. However, low secretion rates and evaporation pose challenges for collecting resting thermoregulatory sweat for non-invasive analysis of body physiology. Here we present wearable patches for continuous sweat monitoring at rest, using microfluidics to combat evaporation and enable selective monitoring of secretion rate. We integrate hydrophilic fillers for rapid sweat uptake into the sensing channel, reducing required sweat accumulation time towards real-time measurement. Along with sweat rate sensors, we integrate electrochemical sensors for pH, Cl-, and levodopa monitoring. We demonstrate patch functionality for dynamic sweat analysis related to routine activities, stress events, hypoglycemia-induced sweating, and Parkinson's disease. By enabling sweat analysis compatible with sedentary, routine, and daily activities, these patches enable continuous, autonomous monitoring of body physiology at rest.
Keyphrases
- heart rate
- physical activity
- healthcare
- clinical practice
- public health
- type diabetes
- heart rate variability
- metabolic syndrome
- insulin resistance
- mental health
- oxidative stress
- stress induced
- diabetic rats
- liquid chromatography
- climate change
- parkinson disease
- high resolution
- ionic liquid
- glycemic control
- quantum dots
- sensitive detection
- weight loss
- health promotion
- human health