Edward C. Baig, USA Today:
Apple and Johnson & Johnson are teaming up on a study to determine whether the latest Apple Watch, in conjunction with an app from the pharmaceutical company, can accelerate the diagnosis of a leading cause of stroke.
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that causes about 130,000 deaths and 750,000 hospitalizations each year in the U.S., Johnson & Johnson said. Up to 30 percent of cases go undiagnosed until life-threatening complications occur. Worldwide, about 33 million people have the condition.
And:
Burton believes “the study has the potential to show that there is a lot more atrial fibrillation out there in the real world in older people than we ever imagined, and if you use a tool like an Apple Watch to detect and funnel people to care, you can really drive down stroke risk in those patients.
So what does AFib have to do with stroke? From this article from the National Stroke Association:
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) affects an estimated 2.2 million people in the U.S. AFib is a type of irregular heartbeat, often caused when the two upper chambers of the heart beat unpredictably and sometimes rapidly. These irregular heartbeats can cause blood to collect in the heart and potentially form a clot, which can travel to a person’s brain and cause a stroke.
I do get how the Apple Watch can detect AFib. Not clear exactly what additional role the Apple Watch will have in predicting/preventing stroke. But that’s what the study’s for.
It’s clear when you read the last paragraph you quoted. You prevent strokes by treating afibs, a cause of strokes.
Yup, fair point. I edited the prose to make my question a little clearer. Thanks for the feedback. ??
— Dave
Things like this are why it would take a lot for me to switch from Apple devices. Are any other fitness wearables doing this kind of thing? I don’t just mean AFib detection but medical studies being enabled? This kind of thing saves lives and prevents people from suffering poor health. This particular one is close to me since my dad died of an AFib related stroke.
I think that many times techies obsess over things like best battery etc and certainly those are worth talking about but “saves lives” is a pretty damn important feature.
Totally wrong headline. This is not talking about stroke detection, at all.
Indeed you’re correct — the entire USA Today article is about AFib detection, which relates to stroke prevention.
“Johnson & Johnson teams with Apple study to help reduce the risk of strokes”
I’d change the Loop title, myself.