Using a phone camera to test urine and skin samples.

An Israeli company has just launched an application that uses smartphone cameras to analyze images, thereby identifying diseases and suggesting treatments.

Dip.io will analyze the results based on the user's medical history. If the results indicate that the patient needs consultation or a prescription, the app will automatically schedule an appointment. - Image: Healthy.io

The urine test strip was developed in 1956 to detect glucose, helping to diagnose diabetes. Since then, test strips have been used to detect the presence of blood, protein, hormones during pregnancy, or bacteria that cause urinary tract infections.

With the Dip.io app developed by Healthy.io, patients still use urine test strips and wait for the color to appear, then take a picture. Dip.io will analyze the results based on the patient's medical history. If the results indicate that the patient needs consultation or a prescription, the app will automatically schedule an appointment.

The team at Healthy.io is collaborating with doctors in Israel to develop a system for monitoring protein levels in the urine of pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia at home, thereby helping to avoid unwanted risks.

In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) has begun using an app to track patients with bladder dysfunction caused by multiple sclerosis. Among those with the disease, around 60,000 are at high risk for urinary tract infections, and approximately 5,000 experience severe infections each year.

Until now, patients who showed signs of infection had to go to the hospital for testing. Using the app from home saves them time, and the NHS also saves approximately $12 million per year.

In the near future, Dip.io will continue to be applied in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. In the US alone, approximately 26 million people suffer from this disease, often accompanied by metabolic disorders, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

Patients in the late stages of the disease often require expensive dialysis, whereas if the disease is detected early based on the amount of protein in the urine, blood pressure-lowering medication can be used to slow the progression of the disease.

In addition to its urine analysis capabilities, Dip.io can also be used to treat dermatological conditions. However, the images must have accurate colors, sufficient file size, and a precise shooting angle for the application to perform proper analysis.

Yonatan Adiri, the founder of Healthy.io, said he also wants to develop more health-related applications on mobile platforms, because almost everyone is using smartphones with functions that are rapidly improving over time.

According to TTO