The news: The newest Apple Watches will soon have a feature that notifies users who may have high blood pressure (hypertension).
- The algorithm works by collecting data from the watch over a 30-day period, only alerting users if it detects consistent signs of hypertension. It does not directly measure blood pressure.
- Alerts are followed up with suggestions for users to log their blood pressure with a traditional cuff and share results with their doctor.
- Apple said that hypertension notifications are currently under FDA review, and are expected to be cleared this month.
Why it matters: Hypertension is well known as a “silent killer” since people may not experience any noticeable symptoms, despite having high blood pressure.
- Apple projects that about 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension will be identified within the first year of the feature’s launch.