If you suspect that you might be suffering from arrhythmia, or erratic heartbeat, you might want to get that checked. It could be nothing and could be a mild inconvenience, or it could lead to something a lot more serious and while heading to a doctor is probably the best solution, there is a way for you to check it yourself first to see if you are imagining things or if something serious is going on. This is thanks to an app developed by medical researchers for HealthSTATS International along with the University College London.
The app, AFDetect, will make use of your phone’s built-in camera and flash light to detect a person’s pulse, which is then analyzed to see if you are suffering from a problem called atrial fibrillation. One of the advantages of the app is that you will be able to test yourself at all times of the day if you choose, compared to ECG tests conducted in the hospital where it can be a lengthy and sometimes expensive process, and where doctors might miss the irregularity if your heart palpitations do not occur when you are at the doctor’s.
Of course hospital equipment is definitely a lot more accurate at diagnosing, especially given that this pretty much relies on your phone’s camera and flash, but like we said, this should do in a pinch and for times when you just want to do a quick check. The app is available for Android and an iOS version is expected to arrive in January.
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