Blood pressureAdding blood pressure measurements from a smartwatch or other fitness wearable device is something that could well improve lives. It’s even marketed as ‘a wearable blood pressure monitor in the innovative form of a wristwatch.’” It does the normal squeeze approach you might’ve had via a doctor or nurse to measure blood pressure. An algorithm then uses those two bits of information, along with heart rate, to estimate blood pressure. Fitbit is a few steps further back in the process — it doesn’t have any blood pressure features available but has a handful of studies underway looking at the relationship between the metrics already collected by its devices and blood pressure. “High blood pressure is such a major risk factor for stroke, major cardiac events, and kidney disease,” says Jordana Cohen.

Source: The Nation September 17, 2021 12:00 UTC