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Apple bought a company that tracks chronic health issues

Gliimpse lets users collect and personalize their health records.

Apple has purchased Gliimpse, a startup that helps users collect and personalize their health records, according to Fast Company. Apple confirmed the deal, which reportedly happened earlier this year, but was coy as usual. "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," a spokesperson told Fast Co. However, it will likely be integrated into its HealthKit research app to help doctors improve treatment for chronic diseases.

The founder of Gliimpse, Anil Sethi, said on LinkedIn that he created the app because "there's no single electronic health record that all physicians use ... Worse, there isn't even a common file format across 1,000+ systems." As such, the app is primarily targeted at patients with complex health records, particularly those who suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer and heart problems.

Apple's HealthKit is used by half the hospitals in the US to monitor patients with serious health issues. The aim is to help researchers conduct trials to gauge the effectiveness of treatments for serious and chronic diseases. Since Gliimpse collects confidential patient data with "rigorous technical security," the acquisition makes sense. However, it could be awhile before we see exactly how Apple brings it into the fold.