Wearable device improves fatigue, life quality in SSc patients

Use of the Apollo wearable for 1 month leads to improvements in fatigue and Raynaud phenomenon (RP) symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to a pilot study.

Specifically, the wearable device improves quality of life (QOL) and disability measures, as well as lowers depression scores.

Participants who used the Apollo wearable reported less fatigue on the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Fatigue 13a (PROMIS Fatigue) scale after 4 weeks (p<0.001). In addition, a decrease was observed in the average daily number of RP attacks (p=0.007) and in the Raynaud Condition Score (p=0.007) after 4 weeks. [J Rheumatol 2025;52:158-164]

The average device usage was 2.87 h/day, which far exceeded the requested time. Despite this, no adverse events were recorded among participants.

In the assessment of PROMIS-29 subscores, the researchers found significant QOL improvements in physical function (p=0.01), depression (p=0.03), fatigue (p=0.01), sleep disturbance (p=0.002), and ability to participate in social roles and activities (p<0.001). Likewise, measures for depression (p=0.004) and disability (p<0.05) significantly improved with the use of the device.

“Future studies should further test the efficacy of the Apollo wearable in these domains and QOL of patients with SSc,” the researchers said.

Twenty-five adults with SSc, moderate fatigue, and RP participated in this pilot study. They completed a 4-week intervention, wherein they wore the Apollo device daily for a minimum of 15 min. The researchers then measured the change on PROMIS Fatigue at 4 weeks.

Calming effect

An earlier article by Harvard Health Publishing stated that the Apollo wearable had been assessed in three small studies. The first one involved 38 healthy individuals who reported feeling calmer, had improved accuracy on cognitive tasks, and increased heart rate variability after using the vibration treatment. [https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/harvard-health-ad-watch-can-a-wearable-device-reduce-stress-202109222601]

A paediatric trial involving 15 children, aged 7 to 17 years, with mental health and impulse control problems, autism, and ADHD noted improvements in “mood, behaviour, engagement, and stress reduction within minutes” of wearable use. These results were based only on observations from clinicians, parents, and the patients.

Finally, the last study included 11 nurses who used the Apollo device. Their average stress scores declined by >40 percent within 2 weeks, and they also experienced improvements in sleep, energy, mood, focus, and stress.

Other studies reported users who achieved deeper states of meditation, improvements in PTSD symptoms, and reductions in the use of narcotics and sleeping pills.

However, “[i]f the Apollo Neuro was a drug rather than a device, none of the evidence presented would be adequate for FDA approval,” said Dr Robert H. Shmerling, senior faculty editor, Harvard Health Publishing. [https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/harvard-health-ad-watch-can-a-wearable-device-reduce-stress-202109222601]

“These studies do not appear to have been performed by independent researchers, little detail is provided on study subjects or methods, and findings are not published in peer-reviewed medical journals,” he added.