Smartwatches getting smarter for better heart health

High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects nearly half of adults in the U.S. and over a billion people worldwide. Hypertension can go unnoticed, possibly for years, as it has very few obvious symptoms. That is, until it leads to serious problems including heart disease, stroke, or kidney failure.

But what if something you wear everyday could help you catch hypertension early?

Thanks to advances in wearable technology, “smartwatches” that so many people wear to count steps, easily view messages, or pay for goods, are increasingly equipped to help monitor blood pressure trends. This innovation gives people a convenient way to stay informed about their heart health at anytime, anywhere.

At practically every doctor’s visit, blood pressure is taken using a cuff that tightens around the arms. This may be the only time or place a person has a blood pressure reading done, and annually or only a few times a year. Many offices now use digital blood pressure monitors while others are more ‘old school’ and still manually compute the blood pressure values using a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. However smartwatch technologies can pair with other equipment, like a cuff, to help a user trend and store blood pressure readings from home. Some of these watches even have a tiny inflatable cuff right within the watch strap for easy, on-demand blood pressure measurement.

FDA-approved hypertension alerts

In a major step forward for people at risk of high blood pressure who may not know it, the FDA recently approved Apple’s new "hypertension detection feature." This advancement uses the watch’s heart sensor to monitor how blood vessels respond to each heartbeat over a 30-day period. If signs of high blood pressure are detected, the watch sends the user a notification, not unlike current features for elevated heart rate or noise. These alerts are meant to encourage users to talk with their doctors about findings which can be confirmed using a traditional cuff measurement. This feature is available newer Apple watches and is currently rolling out globally.

And while smartwatches and their heart health apps aren’t meant to replace doctors, healthy lifestyles, or in the case of hypertension, a medical-grade blood pressure monitor, they can help users:

• Track trends over time – over the course of a day, week or month to correlate what may be driving spikes
• Spot early warning signs of something more serious
• Help stay engaged with their healthcare providers who can use data to make medication and diet recommendations

For many people, especially those managing multiple chronic conditions, real-time feedback with no additional effort can be a game-changer for staying on top of -- or preventing -- health challenges. It is important to keep in mind however that smartwatch technology is not perfect. Accuracy depends on many different factors including the watch model, wearer's skin tone, arm/wrist movement, and proper watch calibration. It is wise to compare smartwatch readings with a traditional cuff monitor regularly to assess accuracy. In addition, anyone interested in using a smartwatch for this kind of health insight should talk to their doctor to understand implication of readings and alerts.