How Apple Watch's New Hypertension Alerts Work In line with efforts to call attention to potential health risks sooner, Apple Watch introduced its groundbreaking hypertension notifications feature in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which can alert users if signs of chronic high blood pressure - or hypertension - are detected.
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Apple integrates cutting-edge sensors, AI and seamless connectivity, making Apple Watch the leading wearable for health-conscious consumers
Hypertension, commonly referred to as high blood pressure, impacts approximately 1.3 billion adults globally. Nearly 30% of adults in the UAE are affected, with rates rising as many cases are undiagnosed. Consequently, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) set a national goal to lower prevalence to 21.8% by 2025 through awareness, screening and lifestyle changes. Aside from lifestyle changes, such as implementing a healthy diet, regular exercise and weight management, early detection is the most effective way to protect against untreated hypertension, which carries the risks of stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, dementia and vision loss. In line with efforts to call attention to potential health risks sooner, Apple Watch introduced its groundbreaking hypertension notifications feature in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which can alert users if signs of chronic high blood pressure - or hypertension - are detected.
"Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of heart attack and stroke, yet millions remain undiagnosed," said Harlan Krumholz, MD, SM, cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital. "Making accurate detection easy and part of daily life can help people get care earlier and prevent avoidable harm."
Hypertension notifications on Apple Watch use data from the optical heart sensor to analyze how a user's blood vessels respond to the beats of the heart. The algorithm works passively in the background reviewing data over 30-day periods, and will notify users if it detects consistent signs of hypertension. These notifications provide wearers with valuable insights into their health as it relates to this widespread condition simply by wearing their Apple Watch, so they can begin making potentially lifesaving behavioral changes, or start treatment to reduce their risk of serious, long-term health events.
Source: Apple Watch
Like all of Apple's health features, hypertension notifications are grounded in rigorous scientific validation. The feature was developed with advanced machine learning and training data from multiple studies totaling over 100,000 participants. Its performance was then validated in a clinical study of over 2,000 participants. While hypertension notifications will not detect all instances of hypertension, with the reach of Apple Watch, the feature is expected to notify over 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension within the first year.
If users receive a hypertension notification, it is recommended that they log their blood pressure for seven days using a third-party blood pressure cuff and share the results with their provider at their next visit, which is consistent with the latest American Heart Association guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hypertension.
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