Physical Wellness

Two High School Students Develop New Tools to Screen Heart and Lung Disease

By Peter R | Update Date: Oct 21, 2014 06:08 PM EDT

Two high-school students from Michigan have developed tools for early detection of lung and heart disease.

According to Yahoo News, sisters Ilina and Medha Krishen used electronic stethoscopes to detect heart and lung disorders. The sisters set out to determine ways for early detection after witnessing family members suffer with heart and lung disorders.

"Ilina Krishen became aware of the dangers of smoking and chemical air pollution when she saw the effects of lung disease on family members. Curious to find a way to detect early lung damage in people exposed to noxious air pollutants, the high school senior at Port Huron Northern High School in Michigan, developed a screening mechanism using an electronic stethoscope," a press release informed.

Similarly her sister Medha wanted to work out ways for early diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Business Standard reported.

"When I was in fifth grade, a family friend died after exercise, and I always wanted to learn more about how to prevent something like that happening. My study analyzing heart sound frequencies may be a useful technique that school staff could use to screen for HCM," Medha said.

The sisters used electronic stethoscopes to hear breath and heart sounds from test subjects. While Ilina's test subjects included firefighters, smokers and non-smokers, Medha's study subjects were 13 individuals with a normal cardiac sports physical and three with a diagnosis for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The findings of both studies showed that higher frequency peaks were associated with greater risks of lung and heart disease.

"Screening with an electronic stethoscope may be able to detect early changes in lung function in individuals without symptoms of lung disease," Ilina said.

The study would be presented at the 80th annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians which is being organized October 25-30 in Austin.

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