Heart health: Is there a software app that can help me reduce my risk of heart disease?

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Is there a software app that can help me reduce my risk of heart disease?

Question

My dad had a heart attack when he was 63 years old and now that I’ll be 60 in a few years, I’m thinking that I should focus more on my heart health. I want to proceed at my own pace and don’t want to worry my family or have them interfering with their good intentions. Is there an application that I could put on my phone and follow privately, until I’m ready to be more public about changing my lifestyle and habits?

Our answer

It’s great to hear that you want to reduce your risk and take some proactive measures to prevent a cardiac event. Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada has several articles on how to monitor your heart health. Fitbits and Apple Watches are common smart watches to help track heart rates.

If you are interested in tracking your vitals there are commertially available devices:

  • Qardio offers several small and portable devices to track your vitals. Among their products they have a wearable ECG monitor, a smart scale measuring Weight, BMI, % body fat, muscle, bone and water composition, a blood pressure monitor, and a pulse oximeter. All their products can be connected to their app to continously monitor your vitals. Their products vary in price from $40 to $200 (CDN), plus additional shipping fees.
  • AliceCor offers a new line of product called KardiaMobile ECG Monitor. This is a portable single-lead personal EKG device that can fit into your wallet. In just 30 seconds, it can detect Atrial Fibrillation, Bradycardia, Tachycardia or Normal heart rhythm. The product costs around $100 (CDN), plus additional shipping fees.

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