Samsung Electronics, quoting a recent in-house medical study report, has claimed that the blood pressure monitoring mechanism on a new Galaxy Watch would be of help to patients with Parkinson's disease.
The Korean electronics giant said a study, carried out by its research doctors published in the leading medical journal Frontiers in Neurology, has shown that the Galaxy Watch could help Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients to effectively manage orthostatic hypotension (OH), a form of low blood pressure caused by blood vessels failing to constrict.
Basically, the Samsung study compared BP measurements collected by the Galaxy Watch 3 with those measured by a sphygmomanometer. In terms of accuracy both were said to be similar.
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How the study was conducted
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Watch Active 2 and the latest Galaxy Watch 4 have sensors that can monitor BP through pulse wave analysis, which is tracked with heart rate monitoring sensors. Users can keep a close tab on their BP (through the Samsung Health Monitor app) and share them with medical professionals in a PDF file format during consultations.
A research team at the Samsung Medical Center is said to have conducted BP tests on 56 patients — with a mean age of 66.9 — with a sphygmomanometer reference on one arm and the Galaxy Watch 3 on the other. Each patient apparently had their BP measured with both devices three times.
"The findings show that BP measured by both the Galaxy Watch and the sphygmomanometer were comparable. The mean and standard deviation of the differences were 0.4 ± 4.6 mmHg for systolic BP (SBP) and 1.1 ± 4.5 mmHg for diastolic BP (DBP). The correlation coefficient (r) between the two devices was 0.967 for SBP and 0.916 for DBP. The closer the correlation coefficient is to 1, the more the two devices track each other," Samsung said in a press statement.
Samsung says that Galaxy Watch is more portable and convenient than a conventional sphygmomanometer. It allows PD patients to measure their BP wherever and whenever they need to.
The research team was quoted as saying: “If we could use a smartwatch to measure patients’ BP regularly and detect potential issues at an early stage, it would really help treat and manage PD.”
The study, led by Dr Cho and Dr Ahn’s research team, titled “Validation of Blood Pressure Measurement Using a Smartwatch in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease”, was published in the latest issue of the medical journal Frontiers in Neurology.
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