The Apple Watch, when launched, was initially marketed as a device that was sort of an extension of the iPhone, where users could send/receive emails, messages, receive notifications from news apps, play music, and also use it as a fitness device thanks to its built-in heart rate sensor.However in recent years it seems that the Apple Watch has evolved, perhaps unintentionally, where it can now be used for medical/health purposes, such as being able to detect heart diseases. Now according to a new study (via TechCrunch; via 9to5Mac) conducted by Cardiogram and the University of California San Francisco, it seems that the Apple Watch can also be used to detect other health problems, such as sleep apnea and hypertension with an accuracy of 82% and 90% respectively.
This is thanks to the use of Cardiogram’s neural network called DeepHeart in which it used AI to help interpret data from the user’s heart rate and step count. This could soon make it easier for users to detect such symptoms in themselves and while it isn’t a diagnosis, it could advise users to get tested to confirm it. We suppose if anything the early detection could help it from getting worse.
According to Cardiogram co-founder and study lead Johnson Hsieh, “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.”
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