Inflammatory bowel disease flare prediction through WEARable devices
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Inflammatory bowel disease flare prediction through WEARable devices in pregnancy: a single site pilot study (I-WEAR)
IRAS ID
364418
Contact name
Joy Troko
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Birmingham Womens & Children's Hospital Charity
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term for a group of conditions that cause swelling and inflammation of the tissues in the digestive tract, affecting around 500,00 people in the UK.
Most pregnant women with IBD will have a successful outcome. However, a meta-analysis found they had an increased risk of prematurity (<37 weeks’ gestation; 95% CI 1.52 to 2.31; p<0.001), low birth weight (<2500 g; 95% CI 1.38 to 3.19; p<0.001), fetal congenital abnormalities (95% CI 1.47 to 3.82; p<0.001), and caesarean section (95% CI 1.26 to 1.79; p<0.001) compared with controls.This risk is higher if their condition is poorly controlled with frequent or prolonged flares (worsening of digestive symptoms caused by inflammation).
Controlling IBD before and throughout pregnancy is therefore vitally important to help reduce these risks. It involves patients taking strong medications and attending hospitals for regular blood tests and stool samples (occasionally imaging and endoscopy). A recent study by Hirten et al. found that physiological parameters (i.e., heart rate variability and steps) tracked by wearable devices, change up to 7 weeks prior to IBD flares in a non-pregnant IBD population. If similar findings applied to a pregnant population, this information could offer real-time patient feedback for IBD disease control, reduce the need for frequent hospital tests, inform reproductive choices, and improve adherence to treatment.
Our study therefore aims to identify if reliable physiological data can be captured on wearable devices during pregnancy and if this correlates, or precedes IBD flares in a pregnant population. As the NHS focus shifts from hospital to home-based individualized care, and the use of wearable technology assisting with healthcare grows (Long Term Plan), this study may provide a timely means to meet this target for future populations to come.REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/PR/0253
Date of REC Opinion
24 Mar 2026
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion