Digital phenotyping of alcohol craving in alcohol-associated liver disease and alcohol use disorder

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Created On: 30/03/2024

This observational study explored the potential of digital phenotyping in individuals with alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related liver disease. The objectives were to investigate the feasibility of using smartphone data for this purpose, establish correlations between the collected data and alcohol craving, and conduct a power assessment for future studies predicting clinical outcomes.

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Key take away

Smartphone sensors can potentially act as substitutes for behavioral markers, aiding in the identification and categorization of novel disease-related characteristics in alcohol-associated liver disease and alcohol use disorder.

Background

Method

Overall, 24 participants (aged 18 and above) diagnosed with alcohol-linked liver ailment and alcohol use disorder were instructed to install the AWARE application. This allowed continuous collection of sensor data and daily ecological momentary examinations on the urge for alcohol and mood for a duration of up to thirty days. Various traits were derived from sensor streams, encompassing location entropy, number of calls, and accelerometer magnitude, which were then subjected to statistical assessment.

Repeated measures correlation was employed for determining the connection between sensors and ecological momentary evaluations. On the other hand, standard Pearson correlation was utilized to examine within-individual links between craving and sensors.

Result

A significant correlation was witnessed between alcohol craving and mood as assessed through ecological momentary assessments. Features connected with craving across all sensors also exhibited profound correlations with various moods, like stress and loneliness, excluding boredom. The individual-level analysis illustrated noteworthy relationships between craving and features related to location entropy and average accelerometer magnitude.

Conclusion

Smartphone sensors can potentially serve as indicators of alcohol craving and mood in those with alcohol-linked liver ailment and alcohol use disorder. The findings indicate that features derived from location and accelerometer data may be linked to alcohol cravings. However, challenges such as missing data and low retention of participants need to be addressed. Future studies are warranted to delve deeper into digital phenotyping for assessing relapse risk and monitoring the advancement of liver disease.