2024-09-20 14:00:08
An older model of Apple Watch. Only the ninth and tenth generation watches can detect sleep apnea. NICOLAS SIX / LE MONDE
Since its release in 2015, Apple has presented its Apple Watch smartwatch as a health accessory, but, like other manufacturers, it has struggled to offer functions that are useful to everyone. The release of the Apple Watch 10, on Friday, September 20, nevertheless brings it a new argument: the detection of sleep apnea. This disease “affects 14% of French people”reports Isabelle Arnulf, neurologist and head of the sleep pathologies department at Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris. Underdiagnosed, it can cause fatigue et somnolenceor even increase cardiovascular risks.
Samsung had launched a few weeks earlier the Galaxy Watch 7, capable of detecting this same disease. These are the first two consumer watches to receive validation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American health regulator. In Europe, this function should be approved by the end of the monthaccording to Apple. As for the Samsung company, it assures the Monde work there.
At the same time, Apple is targeting another common disease and underdiagnosed : hearing loss. His AirPods Pro 2 will soon be able to act as a hearing aid, clarifying the voices of those around him. “These losses affect approximately 10% of the populationbelieves Denis Le Squer, general director of the Hearing Foundation, They increase the risks of isolation and promote the onset of dementia. The feature has also been validated by the FDA, something European regulators are expected to do as well. this fall.
Fear of overdiagnosis
For those equipped, these functions should lower the level of effort required to obtain an initial diagnosis, particularly for hearing problems. “I have a nine-month wait for my ENT consultation”says Candice Lacroix, head of the ENT department at Cochin Hospital in Paris. Some people may therefore be able to spot their ear problems earlier, with the application provided by Apple. However “The earlier you set sail, the easier the recovery”continues the doctor.
Read also | The new Apple Watch: a “footnote in cardiovascular prevention”
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Denis Le Squer, however, points out that it is completely possible to do without the Apple brand to get tested. “We offer a hearing diagnostic application validated by the World Health Organization, Hear »said the general director of the Hearing Foundation.
On the sleep apnea side, “The watch may allow us to treat it before it becomes severe, by adopting a better lifestyle.”considers Isabelle Arnulf. Its users will become more aware of the effects of alcohol and being overweight.” But the neurologist fears the risks of overdiagnosis: “Forty percent of French people have an apnea index greater than 15”corresponding to the threshold of moderate apnea triggering the watch alert. “Beware of the flood of consultations, she warns. In my eyes, a syndrome is something that you suffer from, you should not come to consult in the absence of this symptom.”
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