We all know that Apple Watches can do a lot more than just tell time or count your steps. They can check your heart rate and even make an emergency call if you fall.
But now, thanks to a new study by Mayo Clinic, these handy wrist gadgets could soon warn you if your heart isn’t pumping blood as well as it should.
This could be a game-changer for millions of people, because problems with the heart’s pumping ability can lead to serious heart disease and even death if not treated early.
How Does It Work?
In simple terms, researchers took an already smart piece of tech—the Apple Watch—and made it even smarter. They taught it to read electrocardiograms (ECGs), which are tests that measure the electrical activity of your heart.
Normally, you’d need to go to a hospital or clinic to get this test done. It can be expensive and time-consuming, not to mention that not everyone has easy access to medical facilities.
The Mayo Clinic’s research team asked people to use their Apple Watches to take these ECG readings whenever and wherever they wanted. Then, the readings were sent straight to their doctors through a secure app.
The doctors could view this information anytime, giving them a lot of useful data about how each person’s heart was working.
If they saw signs that the heart wasn’t pumping well, they could advise the person to get further checks and start treatment if needed.
The study had almost 2,500 participants from all over the U.S. and 11 other countries. Over six months, these participants used the app to send in more than 125,000 ECGs.
About 420 of them also had a traditional heart test called an echocardiogram, usually done in a hospital, which showed that the Apple Watch was really good at picking up potential issues.
Why Is This Important?
Heart disease is a big deal—it’s one of the leading causes of death worldwide. When your heart doesn’t pump blood effectively, you can suffer from a range of symptoms like feeling out of breath, having a rapid heartbeat, or swelling in your legs.
If these symptoms sound familiar, that’s because a lot of people have them. In fact, about 2% of the population, and 9% of people over 60, have some form of heart disease where the heart doesn’t pump well.
Early treatment is the key to managing these problems. There are many medicines and treatments that can help people with heart problems live longer, healthier lives.
The challenge has always been to catch the condition early, especially in people who might not yet have symptoms. That’s why this study is so exciting. It could make early diagnosis and treatment more accessible for everyone.
Imagine if, in the future, you could just use your Apple Watch to do a quick check on your heart whenever you want.
This would be especially helpful for people who live far away from hospitals, or those who can’t easily get medical care for other reasons.
The Future Looks Bright
This is still new research, so more studies are needed to confirm these promising results.
But the early signs are positive. Being able to use a simple, everyday gadget like an Apple Watch to check your heart health could be a big step forward.
It would not only make life easier for people who need to monitor their health closely but also relieve some of the burden on our busy healthcare system.
So, the next time you look at an Apple Watch, remember—it’s not just a cool gadget; it could be a lifesaver.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease and calcium supplements could harm your heart health.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about Aspirin linked to a higher risk of heart failure, and results showing this drug could reduce heart disease, fatty liver, and obesity.
The study was published in Nature Medicine.
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