An AI tool that predicts how long a patient might live—just by looking at their face!

 An AI tool that predicts how long a patient might live—just by looking at their face!

American researchers have developed an AI tool called "FAHR-FaceSurvival" that can estimate a patient's remaining lifespan based on images of their face.

Scientists have created a tool designed to help doctors gauge the severity of a patient's health condition by examining their face. The American researchers stated that they trained this tool using images of millions of healthy individuals, as well as 35,000 images of cancer patients.

They claim that the tool can estimate how long a patient might live by conducting a detailed analysis of specific areas, particularly the region around the eyes.

According to the researchers, the tool is not yet ready for use in clinical settings; significant further work is required. The scientists explained that the tool is intended to assist doctors in determining the most appropriate treatment for a patient.

Preliminary findings from the study have been published in *The Lancet Health* journal.

Which part of the face provides the most information?

The AI ​​tool is named "FAHR-FaceSurvival." According to the tool, two specific areas of the face are the most critical for estimating an individual's potential lifespan: the area beneath the eyes and the upper part of the nose, located between the eyes.

When estimating a patient's life expectancy, the tool places the greatest emphasis on these specific facial regions. According to researchers, these indicators have proven useful across various types of cancer. The tool has been found effective even in patients with cancer ranging from mild to very severe, including cases where the cancer had spread to the bones or the brain.

Most of the images of cancer patients used to develop this tool came from individuals in the United States and the Netherlands, aged between 50 and 70. However, the study also included some children and patients over the age of 90.

Physicians already conduct various tests and health screenings to assess a patient's current condition and predict their future health status. A patent application has been filed for this AI tool, though it has yet to be approved. Scientists emphasize that the tool is designed to assist physicians rather than replace them.

Dr. Raymond Mak, a lead researcher at Mass General Brigham hospital in Boston, USA, notes that as human life expectancy increases, physicians require additional support to select the most appropriate treatment—whether it be radiation therapy, surgery, or systemic medical treatments.

According to Dr. Mak, the tool helps physicians assess a patient's remaining physical strength and their level of frailty.

Dr. Mak explains that the researchers' goal is to make health assessments based on facial images more accurate, consistent, and applicable to larger populations. This can assist in selecting treatments tailored to each patient's condition, but it does not replace a physician's clinical judgment.

Another AI Tool for Estimating Biological Age

Mac and his colleagues are also testing another AI tool, which estimates an individual's biological age. In other words, rather than determining age based on a date of birth, it assesses how old a person appears based on their physical appearance—specifically their body and face.

This tool is called "FaceAge."

According to the tool, the skin beneath the nose and around the mouth can provide useful indicators regarding the rate at which a person is aging. This includes the lines extending from the nose to the corners of the lips, as well as the lines running from the corners of the mouth toward the chin. Additionally, wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes, along with the appearance of the temples and cheeks, can offer insights into the aging process.

Dr. Mac notes that the tool has yielded "remarkably consistent" results across various types of photographs taken in everyday settings. Variations in photography techniques, lighting, facial expressions, or the use of makeup did not significantly alter the results.

The tool was also tested in the context of various plastic surgery procedures. In most cases, the results remained largely stable; however, some changes were observed following rhinoplasty—surgery performed to alter the shape of the nose. ‘It’s in the early stages; more data is needed’

Although these results are encouraging, researchers state that more data—specifically images of faces from a diverse range of individuals—is required to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of these tools.

In particular, more images of people from various ethnic groups are needed. Neither tool is fully developed yet; work to further improve them is ongoing.

The research team is also inviting the general public to participate in this study. Interested individuals can send a photograph of their face to the researchers to receive a personal estimate of their biological age.

Professor Miroslav Bober, an expert in video processing and machine learning at the University of Surrey in the UK, notes that it is premature to claim that these tools can monitor the aging process over time or track changes resulting from lifestyle adjustments.

“This is a promising experiment in its early stages, but it is not yet ready for clinical use,” he said.

According to him, the results generated by these tools need to be compared against the professional assessments made by physicians. Furthermore, [data from] various hospitals and... It should also be tested on patients from different groups.

How can the patient recover quickly?

 How can the patient recover quickly?

A recent research has revealed that the human brain has made a timetable for the work of cells throughout the body.

During the 24 hours of the day, these cells work according to the same schedule, called the 'circadian rhythm' or 'body clock', the biological clock. According to this biological clock, the way the body works during the day and night is different. The body works in different ways at different times of the 24 hours. The Greek physician Hippocrates understood this long ago.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it is mentioned that the lungs work best from 3 am to 5 am, the heart from 11 am to 1 pm, and the kidneys from 5 pm to 7 pm.

Perhaps based on this, new research is being conducted in this direction today. Research by biologist John O'Neill has shown that cells called "fibroblasts" quickly repair tissues damaged by injuries during the day. Fibroblast cells penetrate the skin cells to the site of injury, and help it to heal.

After evaluating the International Burn Injury Database, Professor O'Neill said in his research, "People who burn at night take 11 days longer to heal compared to patients who burn during the day."

The biological clock must be understood

Our body's ability to fight disease also affects our body clock. It is important to have a strong immune system to fight any kind of infection that spreads in the body.

Virologist Rachel Edgar is researching the relationship between the 'body clock' biological clock and viral infections. He has researched the ringworm virus in mice.

According to him, this virus is 10 times more active at night and its effect is much less in the morning. This change is probably due to the immune system being less active. The rhythm of the infected cells is also effective in increasing the infection.

Similar results have been observed in seasonal fever. If you take the medicine in the morning rather than in the afternoon, you will get relief sooner. But it is also true that the chances of getting sick during the day are more. The same principle does not apply to different types of infections.

Medicines should be taken at the right time

Professor Edgar says, 'If it is known at what time the virus is affecting the surrounding cells, it can be prevented from spreading through antiviral therapy. By doing this, the amount of antiviral drugs can also be reduced.

According to the World Health Organization, about 250 basic and essential medicines are available in almost all hospitals in the world. But the time to take all of them is different. The effects of these drugs are determined by the body's internal cellular clock. Because of this, the effect of medicine may be less or more. These include painkillers, blood pressure, asthma and cancer medications.

How effective the medicine will be depends on when it is used. This means that if those medicines are not taken at the right time, their effect will be reduced.

For example, if blood pressure medication is taken in the evening instead of in the morning, it is only 60% effective. Another study showed that the effect of radiation therapy was greater in the afternoon than in the morning.

Not everyone's body works the same way

It is not so easy to find out which medicine is more effective at what time and at what time. It is not always possible for the patient to take the medicine at the right time. Also, the mathematics behind the medicine cannot be explained to the patient.

Many times patients take time to recover if they do not take medication on time. Medicines should be taken regularly without skipping a beat. If the medicine is stopped in between, the medicine will not work properly. Patients do not understand this.

Every person's 'body clock' is different. Some people's sleeping, waking up and eating time do not match. Some have the habit of staying up late at night and sleeping late in the morning.

Many people work at night. As a result, the rhythm of their 'body clock' becomes completely different, which also affects their health.

Light, sleep and time

Our platelets and blood clotting cells grow during the day. Also, adrenaline hormone, which increases the heart rate and constricts the nerves, is also released more during the day.

In some intensive care units or cardiac care units, dim lights are turned on at night, which is good for patients. The time of day and night and the patient's biological clock play an important role in many types of surgery and speedy recovery. Researchers hope to soon develop a circadian pill to cure heart disease, an environment that can be used in the presence or absence of light as needed.

Light, sleep and time are the most important to maintain good health, but not all of us pay attention to these things. From cancer, heart disease to allergy patients, medicine is given when it works best in the body. It helps the patient to recover quickly.