Apple Watch Can Detect Hypertension and Sleep Apnea with High Accuracy

November 2017 - In a study published in Scientific Sessions, according to University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and start-up Cardiogram, the Apple Watch has been able to detect abnormal heart rhythms with a 97% accuracy, sleep apnea with 90% and hypertension with 82%. According to the CDC, an estimated 75 million people in the U.S. have hypertension and 22 million have sleep apnea. The Apple Watch is another example of a consumer product that is able to provide at-home medical data, and could be useful in future mobile health efforts. Speaking to the potential of mobile health, Cardiogram co-founder Johnson Hsieh stated, “The idea here is that by screening continuously you would identify people with hypertension who might not know they have it. And then you’d guide them through the appropriate final diagnosis, which would be through a blood pressure cuff and then treatment.” The team will continue their research in exploring accurate, cost-effective wearable applications for at home care. Source: Sarah Buhr, Tech Chrunch; Tison and colleagues, Scientific Sessions.