For people who live with chronic disease, proper management of medications and lifestyle factors is important for keeping symptoms under control. Many people find it helpful to keep reference material on hand and a “symptom diary” to help them determine triggers of disease activity, efficacy of medications, and other factors that influence their disease and quality of life.

As technology has improved over the last years, there is another tool that most patients have that can simplify disease management: their mobile phones. With apps and other widgets, they provide a variety of information at one’s fingertips no matter where they might be located. As a result, a number of apps have been developed for various smart phone platforms to help users manage their disease.

Asthma Tracker (BlackBerry, $4.99)

Good asthma management skills are important for keeping the chronic lung disease controlled. Asthma Tracker for BlackBerry provides several tools for asthma management, including a list of common asthma medications, common asthma triggers to avoid, and a graphing tool to show how users’ asthma levels measure against “normal” levels. This data can then be shared with one’s doctor, who can evaluate whether the current asthma treatment protocol is working or needs to be changed. (BlackBerry is an Edelman client)

GI Monitor (iPhone, Free)

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which cause inflammation in the digestive tract, can worsen in the presence of various foods or lifestyle factors, such as stress or lack of sleep. GI Monitor for the iPhone enables users to easily keep track of symptoms, medications and foods eaten. This data can be visualized on a line graph which can then help users identify patterns of symptom activity and eliminate problematic stimuli. The app also provides research updates, fundraising initiatives and a way to note questions for future doctor’s visits.

OnTrack Diabetes (Android, Free)

Diabetes management depends on keeping the body’s blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. Strategies include proper diet, exercise and medications, including insulin for those with type I disease. OnTrack Diabetes for Android devices enables users to track lifestyle factors and medications as well as blood pressure, weight and blood glucose levels. Users can then export data as graphs and reports in a variety of formats to allow for viewing in the database software of their choice.

Blood Pressure Tracker (Windows Mobile, $19.99)

High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects one in four Americans and can lead to a number of serious health problems, such as impaired vision, heart attack or stroke. In order to get an accurate blood pressure measurement, it can be helpful to take measurements at different times for several days. Blood Pressure Tracker for Windows Mobile helps users manage regular blood pressure readings and export data for use in other databases. (Microsoft is an Edelman client)

glutenScan (iPhone, $1.99/month)

People with celiac disease must avoid gluten, a protein found in foods such as wheat, barley and rye. If accidentally consumed, gluten can cause an inflammatory reaction, and if consumed over a prolonged period of time, gluten can damage the small intestine, leading to further health complications. glutenScan for the iPhone helps people with celiac ensure their foods are gluten-free with information on more than 30,000 food products. Users can even use the iPhone’s camera to scan the UPC code of a food product to bring up its ingredients or look up the manufacturer’s contact information to ask them about a product’s ingredients.

What apps have you seen that enable patients to take better control of their health?

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