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Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

arstechnica.com

51–60 of 90 posts

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#51
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree and that's what's my Note 8 used to provide. As I said, some update made the mandatory a health or whatever app require an account, 2fa, and a lot of setup and personal data before it'd let me access the sensor read.

previous comment meant to out the fingeron the wrist and count the pulse by yourself, analog way.

Surely the process of using fingers to measure discrete pulses is digital.

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#53
post #3

Super clever. But one of the comments: This measures blood pressure in the fingers. There is no consistent way to translate that to a brachial artery blood pressure, which IS 'close enough' to the aortic valve. No calculations are needed, because the bloods pressure at the brachial artery will be only a few mm/Hg lower than it is at the aorta. But on the way to the fingers, the blood pressure lowers, and a multitude…

[deleted]

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#54
post #3

Super clever. But one of the comments: This measures blood pressure in the fingers. There is no consistent way to translate that to a brachial artery blood pressure, which IS 'close enough' to the aortic valve. No calculations are needed, because the bloods pressure at the brachial artery will be only a few mm/Hg lower than it is at the aorta. But on the way to the fingers, the blood pressure lowers, and a multitude…

My hands have periods where they go cold and white; possibly not Raynaud's, but something similar. I suppose that wouldn't help blood pressure detection.

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#55
post #9

I’m not a doctor but my personal belief is that hypertension is over diagnosed. A lot of people have “white coat” syndrome, and pharma companies love to get people on never-ending prescriptions.

I’m not a doctor but my personal belief is that hypertension is over diagnosed. A lot of people have “white coat” syndrome, and pharma companies love to get people on never-ending prescriptions. Thanks for letting us know that you are in fact not a doctor. Because your belief is patently wrong. Source: I am a doctor. https://baptisthealth.net/baptist-health-news/high-blood-pre...

I fainted and nearly died on several occasions from low blood pressure caused by overdose on blood pressure medications or its interactions with other medications/substances. With high blood pressure, I feel uncomfortable but never so severe. So there is definitely danger here.

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#56

I’m not a doctor but my personal belief is that hypertension is over diagnosed. A lot of people have “white coat” syndrome, and pharma companies love to get people on never-ending prescriptions.

I disagree, but I voted your comment up because I think it brings interesting discussion. I find it imperative to treat hypertension whenever possible to avoid long-term complications such as chronic kidney disease which will inevitably lead to costly treatments like hemodialysis or transplant, without even going into heart affections caused by long left untreated hypertension.

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#57
post #41
post #3

Super clever. But one of the comments: This measures blood pressure in the fingers. There is no consistent way to translate that to a brachial artery blood pressure, which IS 'close enough' to the aortic valve. No calculations are needed, because the bloods pressure at the brachial artery will be only a few mm/Hg lower than it is at the aorta. But on the way to the fingers, the blood pressure lowers, and a multitude…

The way ADHD medicine works in Denmark, I need to get my blood pressure measured at my doctors office every 3 months, and a while back when it was around the limit of being too high, they wanted me to do it at home for a period. So I asked if I could use one of these finger things, or even just a wrist thing and their answer was a clear no. Exactly because the number is essentially useless medically by our national g…

What's the name of the medication?

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#58
post #3

Super clever. But one of the comments: This measures blood pressure in the fingers. There is no consistent way to translate that to a brachial artery blood pressure, which IS 'close enough' to the aortic valve. No calculations are needed, because the bloods pressure at the brachial artery will be only a few mm/Hg lower than it is at the aorta. But on the way to the fingers, the blood pressure lowers, and a multitude…

I just think of how the nurse told me, the other day, of their struggles to draw blood from a finger prick test for many patients when the weather's cold and circulation is poor.

It may prove useful on some future study relating to it's efficacy on specific needs, where it may be good enough.

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#59

I’m not a doctor but my personal belief is that hypertension is over diagnosed. A lot of people have “white coat” syndrome, and pharma companies love to get people on never-ending prescriptions.

A lot of people have “white coat” syndrome

I mean, go to a different doctor if yours somehow doesn't know about it. Mine all have. They help account for it by sending folks home with a blood pressure machine hooked up, which you wear for 24 hours. It regularly measures blood pressure - every 15 mintues, IIRC, including at night. In the US, I had a doctor suggest I take it outside of the office regularly so that we could compare. I worked at a pharmacy, so just took it there.

"Pharma companies" aren't there to get on never-ending prescriptions: Curing things gets them fame too. Plus, the "big pharma wants you sick" conspiracies seriously leave out all of the pressure to not have folks on medications for life. Single payer health care plans, governments that administer them, private individuals, and for-profit health insurance companies all would rather not pay for it. I'm not pro big pharma, but I'm also too prudent to believe this.

Re: Measuring blood pressure for less than a dollar using a phone

#60
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Apple Watch detected an AFib about a year and a half ago. Was mildly freaked out at the time but glad that I got the alert. Nothing major, thankfully. Was on a mostly plant-based diet (no meat at all) and wasn't getting enough iron. Easy fix.

>...Was on a mostly plant-based diet (no meat at all)... i.e., A vegetarian diet?

Sounds like it was vegetarian, bordering on vegan.
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