This App is Better at Reading BP than Your Doctor’s Arm Cuff and Electronic Monitor!
You don't have to knock your doctor's door anymore to check your BP!
No need to go to your doctor to get your BP reading. Your smartphone can do it for you and it’s more accurate than your doctor! After replacing books, flashlight and the calculator (among other things), looks like apps are going to give a serious competition to BP monitors! A new app that reads blood pressure has been developed that gives a better BP reading than the traditional arm-cuff device known as the sphygmomanometer.
The app consists of two sensors – a force sensor and an optical sensor on top of it. All you have to do is switch on the app on your phone, put your finger against the sensor and press it. With the finger still on the sensor, hold the phone at the heart level. The app will also tell you whether you are applying the right amount of pressure. Based on this, the app will give you an accurate reading of your blood pressure. And it’s validated by a study!
Researchers who tested the app against traditional BP monitors were stunned to know how accurate the app was. The findings were published in the Science Translation journal, US-based researchers have tested the efficiency of an app designed to measure blood pressure and found that it fared better than mechanical BP devices and the electronic monitor. This discovery could prove to be a game changer, considering how easy it would be for patients of hypertension to keep their BP in check!
The app would work best if patients used it in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle. Hypertension patients have found great relief through following a diet specifically meant to keep high BP at bay called the DASH diet. It's not a fad diet based on unscientific notions and has been specifically designed for people with BP problems. It focuses on eating a healthy, fiber-rich diet, with fruits vegetables and lean meat to keep hypertension at bay. It also recommends that patients adopt a healthy exercise routine along with the DASH diet.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 13, 2018 10:57 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).