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The Apple Watch’s hypertension notifications may soon have a competitor. Oura, maker of smart rings, is planning to pursue FDA clearance for their own warning feature for high blood pressure. Oura members can sign up for a study soon in the Oura app.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can lead to problems with your heart and blood vessels over time. That’s why medical professionals measure it at office visits and why people who have high blood pressure may take medications or use diet and exercise to try to control it.
What Oura is planning for its blood pressure feature
Oura said in a press release that the feature will be called a “blood pressure profile” and will only require the Oura ring itself, no blood pressure cuff needed. The app will not report your actual blood pressure, but it will let users know if they nave “no signs,” “moderate signs,” or “major signs” of hypertension. People who register major signs would be advised to follow up with a medical professional.
How to join Oura’s blood pressure study
Oura says that it has received approval from an institutional review board (IRB) to do a study with Oura members. (They have not named the institution they’re partnering with.) Oura says that people who sign up for the study will be asked to fill out a questionnaire about their family history, medications, and lifestyle habits. Oura will use these answers along with data from the Oura ring. You can read more about the study on Oura’s website here.
Oura says the study is now available in the Oura Labs section of the app. (I don’t see it in mine, but I have to assume it will be there soon.) To find Oura Labs, tap the menu icon in the top left corner of the app, then tap Oura Labs. This screen shows experimental features and has links to studies that members can sign up for.
Members who are eligible for the study include those who are 22 or older, based in the U.S., using the English language version of the app, and using a gen 3 or 4 Oura ring. Members who are pregnant, less than 12 weeks postpartum, or who have cardiac implants like pacemakers are not eligible for the study.
