Aktiia 24/7 blood pressure monitor: bracelet and smartphone app.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is often described as a 'silent killer', because many people who suffer from it do not show any symptoms. Yet hardening of the arteries can decrease the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart, brain and/or kidneys, causing serious and sometimes fatal damage.  

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 worldwide have hypertension, two-thirds of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. Less than half (42%) of sufferers are diagnosed and treated, and only around a fifth (21%) have the condition under control.  

Blood pressure is often measured by health professionals when patients visit medical facilities for check-ups, but consumers can also monitor their blood pressure more regularly at home using commercially available cuff devices, either on the upper arm or the wrist. However, neither arrangement gives physicians what they really need -an accurate and regular supply of blood pressure data that they can use to make diagnoses and manage treatments.

There's a lot of interest in developing a convenient wearable device, either standalone or incorporated into a smartwatch, that can monitor blood pressure continuously and accurately. The first to market, in January 2021, was Aktiia, whose bracelet/smartphone app solution is currently available in the UK for