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What scientists know about the itch-scratch cycle in atopic dermatitis
Learn how skin barrier damage, inflammation, and nerve signaling work together to drive the itch-scratch cycle in atopic dermatitis and eczema.
For many people with atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, itching can be one of the most challenging symptoms to manage. The urge to scratch may feel impossible to ignore, especially during the flare-ups or at night. Unfortunately, scratching often makes symptoms worse, creating what researchers call the itch-scratch cycle.
This cycle is one of the defining features of atopic dermatitis, a condition that many people experience as a part of a larger autoimmune issue. Scientists now understand that it involves much more than dry skin alone. A complex interaction between the skin barrier, the immune system, and the nervous system helps drive chronic itching and repeated scratching. Understanding how these symptoms work together may help explain why atopic dermatitis can be so persistent.
What is the itch-scratch cycle?
The itch-scratch cycle describes a self-perpetuating process in which itching leads to scratching, and scratching leads to even more itching. At first, an itch may develop because of inflammation, dry skin, an environmental trigger, or skin irritation. Scratching provides temporary relief, but it also damages the skin. This damage triggers additional inflammation and activates itch-sensitive nerve fibers, creating stronger itch signals.
As the cycle continues, the skin becomes increasingly irritated and sensitive. Over time, even minor triggers may provoke significant itching, making it difficult to break the pattern. Researchers consider the itch-scratch cycle a central mechanism in atopic dermatitis because it contributes to both symptom severity and disease progression.
The skin barrier's role
Healthy skin acts as a protective barrier between the body and the outside environment. It helps retain moisture while keeping irritants, allergens, and microbes out. In atopic dermatitis, this barrier does not function as effectively as it should. Many people with the condition have changes in proteins that help maintain skin structure and hydration. As a result, the skin may lose water more easily and become dry, cracked, and vulnerable to irritation.
When the skin barrier is weakened, environmental triggers can penetrate more deeply into the skin. This exposure activates immune responses that contribute to inflammation and itching. Barrier disruption also increases sensitivity. Skin that is already inflamed may react more strongly to factors that would not bother someone without atopic dermatitis, such as fabrics, soaps, temperature changes, or sweat.
How the immune system contributes to itching
Inflammation plays a major role in the itch-scratch cycle. Atopic dermatitis is associated with an overactive immune response that promotes the release of inflammatory signaling molecules. These immune signals help drive many of the symptoms associated with eczema, including redness, swelling, and itching.
Researchers have identified several cytokines that appear to be particularly important in atopic dermatitis. Some of these inflammatory molecules can directly stimulate itch pathways, making the sensation stronger and more persistent. This helps explain why itching often continues even when there is no obvious external trigger. The immune system itself may be generating signals that promote itch sensations.
As inflammation increases, scratching causes additional skin damage, which in turn triggers further immune activation. This creates a feedback loop that reinforces the cycle.
The nervous system and chronic itch
One of the most important discoveries in recent years is the role of the nervous system in chronic itch. The skin contains specialized nerve fibers that detect itch sensations and send signals to the brain. In atopic dermatitis, these nerves may become unusually sensitive.
Research suggests that inflammation can change how itch-sensitive nerve fibers function. Certain inflammatory molecules increase communication between immune cells and sensory nerves, amplifying itch signals before they reach the brain.
Scientists have also observed increased nerve growth in affected skin. As more nerve fibers develop near the skin's surface, the skin may become more responsive to itch triggers. This heightened sensitivity helps explain why chronic itch can persist even when visible inflammation improves. The nervous system itself may remain primed to react.
Why scratching feels good, at least temporarily
Many people wonder why scratching provides relief if it ultimately worsens symptoms. Researchers believe scratching activates pain-related nerve pathways that temporarily override itch signals. This interruption can create a brief sense of relief and satisfaction.
The brain may also release reward-related neurotransmitters during scratching, reinforcing the behavior. In other words, scratching can feel rewarding in the moment, even though it contributes to long-term symptoms.
Unfortunately, the relief is usually short-lived. Once scratching damages the skin and inflammation increases, itch signals often return even stronger than before.
Why the itch-scratch cycle can be hard to break
The itch scratch cycle involves multiple biological systems working together. A weakened skin barrier allows irritants to enter. The immune system responds with inflammation. Inflammatory signals activate itch-sensitive nerves. The nervous system amplifies those signals and sends them to the brain. Scratching then causes additional skin damage, restarting the process.
Since so many mechanisms are involved, there is rarely a single trigger or solution. Factors such as stress, poor sleep, environmental allergens, heat, and infections can also intensify symptoms and make itching harder to control. This complexity helps explain why managing atopic dermatitis often requires addressing several aspects of the condition at the same time.
Managing your symptoms with Evidation
Scientists now recognize that the itch-scratch cycle in atopic dermatitis is driven by an ongoing interaction between skin barrier dysfunction, immune system activity, inflammation, and nerve signaling. What starts as an itch can quickly become a self-reinforcing cycle that is difficult to stop.
As research continues to uncover how these systems interact, tracking symptoms, triggers, and flare patterns can help you better understand your health. With Evidation, you'll get to use the health data you're already tracking to find patterns and get insights that can help you make decisions that take your health and well-being in the right direction. Click here to learn more about Evidation and get started today.
The Women who Inspire our Evidation Members
Meet the women who inspire us to be our best selves! In honor on National Women's month, take some time to honor the inspiring women in your life.
Last month was Women’s History Month and later this month we celebrate one special group of women in our lives — the group of women we call mothers.
We know that Mother’s Day can be difficult for many, and we recognize that the word “mother” means many things.
With that in mind, we want to share the love and inspiration that comes from the women in our lives, whoever they are.
Some of these women have given birth, some have raised us, taught us, picked us up when we’ve been knocked down. Others have been friends, sisters, aunts, lovers. Some, we have lost.
But each of them have inspired us in one way or another.
And inspiration is something we appreciate here at Evidation.
So, we’d like to highlight the women who’ve inspired our community of members!
We recently asked Evidation Members about the women who inspire them, and the response was amazing!
Over 19,000 members sent us inspiring stories of the women in their lives.
It took us a while to get through the many heartfelt submissions, and while we’d love to share them all, we’ve chosen to highlight a few here in honor of women everywhere.
Meet our members and the women who inspire them
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“Ms. Thomas was my first African American female teacher in the third grade; also my only till I reached college. We instantly bonded and have a relationship to this day. She was such a smart and powerful woman and I think she is one of the many people that have encouraged and supported me to become the woman I am today. I could not imagine what my school experience would have been without her. She was always there to offer me extra support outside of class time and continued to help when I was no longer in her class. I can say that I love this woman and am so glad that she is a part of my life.” — Brieanna, Lexington
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“My friend Michelle inspires me in many ways. She is a retired firefighter/paramedic. She has been a competitive bodybuilder. Is a yoga instructor, painter, quilter and end of life doula. When she turned 50 she walked the Camino de Santiago and hiked the Kalalau in Kauai, both in a skirt. (Because, you know, year of the skirt). She is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She loves life and encourages others to love themselves and their life too.” — Karen, Las Vegas
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“My Lola (grandmother in Tagalog) is a truly inspiring woman. She originally graduated at the top of her class in accounting, then when she was in her 40s, she fought ageism and attended medical school to become an ophthalmologist. Not only is she brilliant, she is also a wonderful mother to 7 children, and Lola to her 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. She was also one of the first female drivers in the Philippines. While my mom’s classmates were being picked up by their drivers, my Lola decided to learn how to drive a car so she could pick up her children herself. At 94 years old today, she is still brilliant, witty and going strong.” — Mariella, Toledo
“Nhu is a very dear friend of mine and she came to USA around 1980. She became USA citizens and is very much a good person. She has had her struggles along the way as she lives here in the USA and had always been a positive person no matter what happened to her as far as people treat her, she has always look to a more positive attitude towards them as she goes on with her life, she appreciate being here from where she came from she is a refugee from Vietnam and I can only imagine what her life was before her life here! To be so patient and positive about things takes a lot of patience and I love and dearly respect her for that. She has inspired me to look at things in a more patient and kind away in my life. She is a very dear and precious friend to have.” — Sher, Tacoma
“She has been my head principal for 10 years, and she continually inspires teachers, students, staff, parents, and the community to do and be their best. She never accepts excuses, and is continually looking for solutions to problems that make our high school awesome. She also treats everyone equally, which I never experienced until she came. She even helped our band to get funding for new marching band uniforms which we haven’t had in a few decades. I’m just sad to see her retire at the end of this school year, but wish her the best in her next chapter. I’m very grateful for knowing because she has made me a better teacher. I’ll never forget her.” — Charles, West Jordan
Give back by supporting woman-friendly charities
Evidation Members can donate the money they earn in app to a variety of charities. Some of the charities that are supportive of women and woman-related issues are:
- Black Girls Code
- Black Women’s Health Alliance
- Girls who Code
- Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
- Tides Foundation
- Loveland Foundation
Want to learn more about Evidation? Click here!
Preliminary Results from our Second COVID-19 Vaccination Perceptions and Behaviors Survey
COVID-19 vaccines have been a source of hope and trepidation for many. We wanted to know how individuals felt about the vaccines
The release of COVID-19 vaccinations has been a symbol of hope to many people — -and a source of hesitancy to some. For our second survey on COVID-19 vaccination perceptions and behaviors (which we will refer to as “survey 2” throughout this blog post), we wanted to understand how people were feeling about the vaccines as people first started getting access to them. We launched the survey in January 2021, and are excited to share some preliminary results with you!
Participants
100,080 people (“participants”) completed survey 2. 54,701 have completed all surveys in the study so far. The mean age of survey 2 participants was 37.4 (standard deviation: 12.2 years). The majority of survey 2 participants identified as female (80.8%) and identified as white (78.0%).
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Vaccination Likelihood and Hesitancy
One of our main focuses for this survey was to examine how COVID-19 vaccination likelihood and hesitancy has evolved over time.
11.4% of participants had already gotten a COVID-19 vaccine when they took the survey, with an additional 0.6% reporting participating in COVID-19 vaccination trials:
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Overall, survey 2 participants reported being more positive about COVID-19 vaccination than they had been previously. 30% of participants reported feeling more likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine than they had been a month ago:
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People reported a range of reasons for their likelihood of vaccination increasing, with some common responses including:
- Feeling more informed about COVID vaccination overall (for example, “learned more information about it”, “just thinking and researching”)
- Feeling more confident about COVID vaccination safety as more data and research were released (for example, “more data on potential side effects”, “studies are getting better and more people are receiving it.”)
- Feeling more confident about COVID vaccination safety as they saw their friends, family, and community starting to get vaccinated (for example, “seeing those I respect get it”, “watching people I know get it with little adverse side effects”)
We saw a similar trend looking at the differences between reported vaccination likelihood in the first and second surveys; mean reported likelihood was 4.93 in survey 1 (median=5), and 6.53 in survey 2 (median=8.0):
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Although the majority of participants (51.5%) still report being more hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines than other vaccines, a higher percentage of survey 2 participants reported being equally or less hesitant than survey 1 participants:
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Vaccination Informedness
As mentioned above, one common reason people gave for their increase in vaccination likelihood was feeling more informed about the vaccines. Our data reflect this increase in self-reported informedness; in survey 1, only 27.1% of participants reported feeling “informed” or “very informed”, but 53.3% did so in survey 2:
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The most common pieces of information unvaccinated participants reported needing to know before deciding to get the COVID-19 vaccine were all potential side effects (62.7%) and possible long-term impacts of vaccination (58.9%).
We look forward to further investigating these current perceptions and behaviors and see how they change as more people become eligible for vaccination!
Next Steps
To understand how people’s perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19 vaccination continue to evolve as vaccines become available more broadly, we will send additional surveys over the following months asking for Evidation Members’ perceptions and behaviors. The exact dates of these future surveys will depend on developments in the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccination, so stay tuned for more!
If you’d like to get vaccinated, see this CDC page with resources to find appointments near you.
How Election Night 2020 Impacted Our Bedtimes
Do people stay up later on election night? Find out what we discovered.
Our Research, Analytics, and Learning team is exploring and analyzing data from our Evidation platform, where members contribute to research and help us uncover insights that could improve their health and the health of others.
During this year’s presidential election there was high voter turnout which included record-breaking numbers of mail-in ballots due to COVID-19. As we now know, this high volume of ballots required multiple days to count, so no final winner could be projected on Election Day. We decided to look at Evidation Members activity data to see what changes the election may have caused for our members.
We used Fitbit data contributed by Evidation Members, to explore sleep characteristics and schedules for the month leading up to Election Day in 2020. We looked specifically at the time that each member went to bed in their local timezone. Equivalent time periods in 2017–2019 were used for comparison. These periods were aligned across years based on week rather than calendar date, so that differences in weekend and weekday sleep cycles would line up. This also syncs the end of daylight saving time, which happened on November 1, 2020, the Sunday two days before Election Day, and temporarily shifts our sleep cycles earlier. Positioning the data in this way allows for appropriate comparisons of data across years.
So, did anything about our sleep change? This plot shows the average time Evidation Members started sleeping on the weeks leading up to and immediately after daylight saving time from 2017–2020:
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There is a clear weekly pattern: we go to bed later on Friday and Saturday nights, when we have a weekend day ahead of us. On daylight savings weekend we started sleeping slightly earlier as we adjusted to the end of daylight saving time, a trend which continues through the following week as we slowly adjust to going to bed later again. However, on Election Day 2020 this pattern was disrupted; bedtimes spiked up over 20 minutes from Sunday and Monday night.
You may also notice the interesting pattern of later bedtimes in 2017, leading up to daylight saving time. This lines up with Halloween night and games 6 and 7 of the 2017 World Series. We’ve examined the impact of the 2017 World Series on sleep in the past.
As we looked closer at our sleep data, we were curious to see if members on the East Coast stayed up later in their time zone than those on the West Coast while they waited for results, so we examined average bedtimes in each time zone. On election night, members on the East Coast stayed up the latest (11:51 PM), compared to members in the Central (11:39 PM), Mountain (11:39 PM), and Pacific (11:43 PM) time zones. Compared to the previous night, members in Eastern Standard Time stayed up 22 minutes later, Central Standard Time 20 minutes later, and Mountain Standard Time 23 minutes later, while members in Pacific Standard Time stayed up only 14 minutes later.
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Regardless of where we live, sleep is an important part of our health. Fortunately, later bedtimes due to the election were confined to Tuesday night. Bedtimes returned to normal after Election Day, as it became clear that election results would take at least several more days to be projected.
Did you stay up late on Election Day? If you have tips to reduce stress or improve sleep, we’d love to hear them.
Preliminary Results from our First COVID-19 Vaccination Perceptions and Behaviors Survey
We wanted to understand people’s evolving perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19 and vaccinations.
We are all looking forward to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruptions it’s caused in our lives. A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will form part of the public health strategy to help us reach this endpoint faster. As many organizations work to develop and release such a vaccine, we wanted to understand people’s evolving perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19 and vaccinations. We launched the first set of surveys in our study in October, and are excited to share some preliminary results with you!
Objectives
This study’s goal is to describe people’s perceptions and behaviors around the COVID-19 vaccine. For example, what reasons do people have for getting or not getting the COVID-19 vaccine? How likely are they to get it once it’s released? Has the pandemic encouraged people to get the flu shot? This study will investigate whether and how these perceptions and behaviors change over time, as COVID-19 vaccines are developed and released.
Methods
To describe people’s perceptions and behaviors, and how those perceptions and behaviors change over time, we are asking for people’s input through a series of online surveys. These surveys will be sent throughout the development and release of COVID-19 vaccines.
So far, we’ve launched 2 surveys: one to understand the backgrounds of the people participating (for example, their demographics, where they live, whether they’re at risk for COVID-19), and one to characterize current perceptions and behaviors. We have started analyzing the data collected between October 9th, 2020 and November 11th, 2020. We won’t be able to understand how perceptions and behaviors have changed until we launch the next survey, but we can start to describe how people are currently feeling about the COVID-19 vaccine!
Preliminary Results
Here are some preliminary results from our first 2 surveys.
Participants
64,750 people (“participants”) have completed the first perceptions and behaviors survey. Mean age was 38.5 (SD: 11.7 years), and the majority of participants identified as female (79.7%) and identified as white (80.0%).
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All 50 states (plus Puerto Rico and Washington, DC) are represented:
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Vaccination Likelihood, Motivators, and Barriers
On average, participants were on the fence in terms of likelihood of getting the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s released (mean=4.93, median=5). The distribution shows a wide range of opinions, with the largest numbers of people reporting at:
- 0 (“Very unlikely”): 18.8%
- 5: 13.6%
- 10 (“Very likely”): 14.3%
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The most common reasons people reported for getting the COVID-19 vaccine were to:
- help protect their family, friends, or community (59.9%)
- lower their chances of getting COVID-19 (56.7%)
- lower their chances of having to go to the doctor or getting hospitalized due to severe COVID-19 symptoms (53.7%)
- feel more comfortable spending time with their friends, family, or community (55.7%)
The most common reasons people had to not get vaccinated were because they were:
- concerned the vaccine is being approved too quickly (61.3%)
- concerned about possible side effects (60.1%)
- not sure the vaccine will be safe (56.2%)
- not sure the vaccine will be effective (57.0%)
Relative Vaccination Hesitancy
Most participants reported feeling more hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine than other vaccines (68.0%), with 24.9% feeling equally hesitant and 7.1% feeling less hesitant:
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Vaccination Informedness
We’ve also found that people don’t feel particularly well-informed about the COVID-19 vaccine in general. 19.8% of participants report feeling “Not at all informed”, 22.7% “Slightly informed”, 30.4% “Moderately informed”, 19.2% “Informed”, and only 7.9% “Very informed”:
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Pandemic Influence on Flu Shot Plans and Behavior
The CDC has stressed that getting the flu shot this season is more important than ever, to help protect oneself and others and to minimize burden on the healthcare system. Many participants seem to agree: of the 35,997 participants who had not gotten the flu shot yet (or were unsure), 20.2% reported being more likely to get it this season due to the pandemic:
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Of the 28,753 participants who had gotten the flu shot, 20.0% reported that the pandemic encouraged them to get it, and 9.1% reported the pandemic was the primary reason they did so:
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We are excited to continue to investigate these current perceptions and behaviors and see how they change over the coming months!
Next Steps
To understand how people’s perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19 vaccination evolve over the development and release of vaccines, we will send more surveys over the following months asking for Evidation Member’s perceptions and behaviors. These surveys will be sent as big events happen around the vaccine’s development, like its approval or release. The exact dates of these future surveys will depend on when these events happen, so stay tuned for more!
8 Fresh Summer Ideas
Don’t let summer pass you by this year! We chatted with our team and consolidated some of our favorite activities.
Don’t let summer pass you by this year! We chatted with our team and consolidated some of our favorite activities.
- Connect with brainy folks all around the world with Atlas Obscura’s Trivia Night! Rally together a virtual team and participate for $7.
- Celebrate Blues Artist Mavis Staples and listen to other folk artists including Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Ben Harper, and Phoebe Bridgers for a Livestream concert. Tickets cost $12. Tune in this Friday, July 31st at 8:30pm EST.
- Join host Saleem Reshamwala as he goes on global expeditions and learns from people around the world who are creatively working to make their communities better. Tune into this Ted podcast to transport to another world virtually in the absence of travel.
- Host a virtual book club with friends. The benefit of talking about your latest read via Zoom or video chat is that you can connect with friends across time zones.
- Jump on the geocaching bandwagon. We recently heard from some Achievers that they’ve been geocaching with their family members for an active, outdoor treasure hunt.
- Make a box fort/cat castle for your cat children if you’re a cat mom or dad. :)
- Set up a socially distanced front yard hang! Dust off your lawn chairs and pick up some of your favorite snacks and head outdoors.
- Choose a road trip and safely travel to a closeby spot! Know you’re not alone in opting for a road trip as a staycation during these unusual times. Read up on some of the best road trips in America.
- Host your very own hot sauce competition with your “quaranteam.” Find some new hot sauces you’ve always wanted to try online and order them in to have a mini hot sauce competition. Pro tip: the Heatonist has some of our favorites.
- Channel your inner artist with a paint by number kit. Tune into a favorite playlist and enjoy a leisurely weekend art hour.
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Representation in Research Matters
We’re collaborating with BlackDoctor.org to ensure that the effects of COVID-19 are investigated in a representative population.
Historically, minorities have been inadequately represented in research studies. We’re committed to enrolling a more diverse and representative population in Evidation for studies.
We’re collaborating with BlackDoctor.org to ensure that the effects of COVID-19 are investigated in a representative population.
We, in partnership with BlackDoctor.org and Myovant Sciences, have launched Forward Momentum, a cross-sector coalition working to improve the lives of men with prostate cancer. Forward Momentum is committed to addressing the complex set of challenges that hold back the representation, information, and conversations that all men deserve. By bringing together organizations from diverse sectors and investing in novel digital initiatives, Forward Momentum strives to accelerate progress for men with prostate cancer.
Stay tuned for more updates from us on these research efforts!
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Hear from Us About the Future of Health
Evidation partners with the world’s leading healthcare companies and enables everyone to participate in research.
Our CEO, Deborah Kilpatrick, recently spoke on a podcast about the importance of everyday behavior data and the future of health. After working in the medical technology space, she joined Evidation Health in 2014. Evidation partners with the world’s leading healthcare companies and enables everyone to participate in research. We’re focused on helping people measure everyday activities. We’re also invested in connecting our community to opportunities that will help them better understand the conditions that impact them and their loved ones. Listen more on this podcast here.
Together We Can Achieve More
At Evidation, we’re focused on meeting people where they are and helping them along their health journey.
At Evidation, we’re focused on meeting people where they are and helping them along their health journey. Our engaged community of members represents 96% of U.S. counties and includes individuals across ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This community puts us in a unique position to learn from one another and contribute to meaningful health research.
With a mission of helping people participate in better health outcomes, we're committed to identifying opportunities that are inclusive of all and educating ourselves on the social issues that are impacting the world. To truly achieve our mission of helping people participate in better health outcomes, we recognize we have more work to do. Our commitment going forward:
- Provide our members with educational content around health and race curated by our team of researchers.
- Put in place more inclusive study opportunities for members to participate in.
- Do our part as a research company to participate in inclusive clinical research practices to ensure diverse and generalizable results through diverse participant recruitment and participation.
- Hold ourselves accountable by reporting our progress out to our members.
We’re committed to supporting long-term systematic change and stand in solidarity with our Black teammates, Evidation Members, and the entire Black community. We know this is only the beginning of the conversation, and we need to continue to fight for equality. We’ll continue to listen, educate ourselves, take action, hold ourselves accountable, and pledge to do our best to support all communities to participate in better health outcomes.
An immediate change we’re pleased to share is that Evidation Members can now donate their rewards to these charities:
American Civil Liberties Union
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Evidation Health and BARDA Partner on Early Warning System for COVID-19
On June 4th, Evidation Health announced a new effort to develop an early warning algorithm to detect symptoms of COVID-19 and to understand susceptibility to infection, funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Here at Evidation, we’ve been identifying opportunities to contribute to COVID research. THe Evidation app is a product of Evidation Health, and has a community of over 3 million and members all around the United States. With an engaged research population representing a variety of zip codes and demographics, we’re uniquely positioned to help researchers and organizations conduct meaningful research about the pandemic.
On June 4th, Evidation Health announced a new effort to develop an early warning algorithm to detect symptoms of COVID-19 and to understand susceptibility to infection, funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“Many infected individuals are asymptomatic but still able to spread the virus, making efforts to prevent and slow transmission of COVID-19 difficult,” said Luca Foschini, Ph.D., Evidation’s co-founder and chief data scientist. “This initiative will use novel behavioral and physiological data to more effectively identify when and where people may contract COVID-19, and can potentially enable real-time interventions to limit spread and monitor outcomes.”
The analysis, performed in collaboration with non-profit 4YouandMe, will use de-identified data generated by self-reporting and wearable devices to track symptoms of COVID-19 in those at particularly high risk, including health care workers and other first responders, in order to better understand susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. One potential outcome of this work is an early warning algorithm to help individuals better understand and monitor their respiratory disease symptoms and take precautions against their spread.
“The ability to self-monitor and be informed of health status will empower Americans in their decisions to help slow the spread of this pandemic and improve health outcomes for people with COVID-19,” said BARDA Acting Director, Gary Disbrow, Ph.D. “This pilot study is not only an early step in demonstrating the utility of models developed using person-generated health data but also may provide data to better understand the varied symptoms of COVID-19.”
This program follows Evidation’s work with BARDA to monitor individuals for respiratory infections, such as influenza. Evidation’s existing research on influenza utilizes person-generated health data and population-based models with the goal of improving real-time respiratory infection monitoring at the individual and population level. BARDA is contributing a $720,000 award as part of BARDA’s COVID-19 Rapidly Deployable Capabilities program to identify and pilot near-term innovative solutions for COVID-19. Support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is from the $250 million the foundation has committed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.