Can the Apple Watch help stop this 'silent killer'?

Not only to check the time, Apple Watch is also considered a relatively effective personal health monitoring tool. To find out if the Apple Watch can help reduce the risk of stroke by early detection of signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), Apple recently signed a partnership agreement with Johnson & Johnson to conduct a 3-year intensive research on stroke called the Heartline. So what's remarkable about this ambitious plan?

The participants in the Heartline study will be predominantly people over 64 years of age - a group of people at high risk for stroke. Participants will install an app called Heartline Study on their iPhones, along with an electrocardiogram (ECG) app, to see if the Apple Watch can detect the smallest heart rhythm disturbances. Potential signs of a stroke or not.

'Heartline is a study that fundamentally changes our understanding of how digital health tools, such as the ECG app and the irregular rhythm notification feature on the Apple Watch, can play. the risk of AFib, helping patients understand and be more active in monitoring their own heart health, '' said Dr. C. Michael Gibson, co-chair of the Heartline executive committee.

The main objective of the study was to assess whether the Apple Watch could better detect pre-AFib markers, which is the leading cause of stroke, but it is not always clear symptoms. Clearly, the preventability is significantly reduced. According to a 2017 study, 30% of respondents did not know that they had AFib until serious symptoms, such as a stroke, appeared.

Participants will receive advice on cardiovascular health, as well as relevant surveys and questionnaires every week during the study. In addition, Apple also conducted other important health-related researches, including an auditory study, analyzing daily audio exposure that will affect hearing health. What is the long-term sense of a person. In addition, there is another study on women's health, related to the menstrual cycle and earlier detection of signs of heart disease.

Information gained from research will be used by Apple to improve efficiency as well as add new features that are more necessary for the Apple Watch in the future.