Apple Watch now detects hypertension: tool approved in the US

The FDA, the US healthcare regulator, has given the green light to a tool built into the Apple Watch that can detect cases of hypertension.

The American technology company announced this week the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 11, the brand's new smartwatch that can detect cases of hypertension. Apple emphasized that while hypertension notifications "won't detect all" cases of hypertension, the feature should be able to notify "more than a million people with undiagnosed hypertension within the first year."

Apple said this new smartwatch model empowers users with "notifications about signs of chronic high blood pressure — also known as hypertension — as well as new insights into sleep quality with Sleep Score, complementing the robust suite of health features included" in the device.

“Apple Watch uses advanced sensing capabilities to empower millions of people around the world to better understand their health, while also serving as a fitness coach, messaging hub, mobile wallet, and stylish timepiece,” said Stan Ng, Apple’s vice president of Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing.

The technology company also stated that hypertension is the “main modifiable risk factor” for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease, affecting approximately 1.3 billion adults worldwide.

"It often goes undiagnosed because it often has no symptoms, many people don't see a doctor regularly, and even during a clinical consultation, it can easily go unnoticed with a single measurement," the technologist emphasizes.

Apple assures that like all Apple health features, hypertension notifications are based on “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 with over 2,000 participants," Apple said.