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The scale of the hypertension problem
Hypertension is a chronic condition where blood pressure in your blood vessels is too high. It doesn’t show symptoms but it’s a serious medical condition that can cause heart attack and strokes. It’s the most common and deadliest chronic disease in the world, affecting 16% of the global population and 10 million premature deaths every year.
Half of Americans and around 30% of Europeans have hypertension. But 46% of hypertensive people are unaware of their condition. Many of these people remain asymptomatic until something goes wrong during a hypertensive crisis when blood pressure goes up to critical levels. It’s a major factor in many cases of serious heart disease and failure.
Traditional methods of monitoring this “silent killer” require expensive and inconvenient equipment. Many patients who get diagnosed struggle to follow the medication and sudden lifestyle changes. But AI-powered solutions can bridge the gaps, help you live with hypertension and reduce stress.
Risk factors and symptoms
World Health Organization categorizes hypertension risk factors into two groups: modifiable (things you can change) and non-modifiable (things you can’t). Modifiable risks are an unhealthy diet—too much salt, saturated fats and not enough fruits and vegetables—physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption and being overweight. Even environmental factors like air pollution can increase the risk. Non-modifiable risks are age (65+), family history of hypertension and conditions like diabetes or kidney disease. The tricky part? High blood pressure has no obvious symptoms, that’s why it’s called the silent killer. In severe cases, it can cause headaches, blurred vision or chest pain—clear signs you need to see a doctor.
Global impact and prevention
High blood pressure affects over 1.28 billion adults worldwide, it’s one of the most common health challenges globally. Despite its prevalence, many are undiagnosed or struggling to manage it. Good news is hypertension is largely preventable. Lifestyle changes like eating balanced diet, low-sodium, active and quitting tobacco can lower blood pressure and reduce heart disease risk. But prevention doesn’t stop there—regular monitoring is key. Tracking your blood pressure helps detect early, better health decisions and reduce risk of complications later on.
How can AI help in managing high blood pressure?
AI can impact seven areas of hypertension care:
- Early diagnosis
- Regular monitoring
- Medication adherence
- Stress management
- Dietary tracking
- Physical activity
- Sleep
Consult with a healthcare professional to tailor these tools to your needs and ensure proper management.
Early diagnosis
As mentioned above, many hypertensive patients don’t know they have high blood pressure. Managing high blood pressure means going to the clinic or hospital for checkups and strapping the upper arm into a cuff. Healthcare professionals may also use a stethoscope to record blood pressure readings which are vital data used to determine if medication is needed to manage high blood pressure. Some people may use at-home devices for measurement but maintaining and accurately monitoring blood pressure can still be challenging as it requires bringing the equipment with you wherever you go.
The hassle of these kinds of diagnosis can be off-putting to many patients who suspect they have high blood pressure and are unaware. There is a clear need to simplify monitoring of vital signs to make it more accessible. Shen AI is an AI and video-based technology that allows you to do a health assessment in 60 seconds and get insights into 33+ vital signs including blood pressure without any medical devices.
The technology is clinically validated and provides insights into various health indicators such as heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure. It also gives you a long list of health indices to better understand health risks and overall wellness.
Blood pressure monitoring
With Shen AI, blood pressure monitoring isn’t a one-time check—it’s an ongoing process. After the initial assessment, users can monitor their blood pressure anytime, anywhere using just a smartphone or laptop. No need for clinic visits or bulky equipment. This simple and convenient way makes it easier for patients to stay on top of their health, track progress over time and ensure blood pressure medications are working to keep blood pressure healthy.
Blood pressure medication adherence
Managing hypertension often means following a daily medication routine which can be challenging—especially for people with busy schedules, irregular routines or frequent travel. But consistent adherence to prescribed treatment is key to keeping blood pressure under control and reducing health risks. Heartery, a Danish app for comprehensive management of high blood pressure helps users stay on track by simplifying blood pressure monitoring and providing tools to support better treatment adherence and long-term health outcomes.
Heartery is designed to tackle the everyday challenges faced by people with hypertension. Before launching, the team interviewed over 150 patients to understand their needs which helped shape the app’s features. Within three months, Heartery had 15,000 users proving its relevance and impact.
By combining data from simple adherence questionnaires with pill reminder activity, Heartery’s AI analyzes medication habits to identify patterns and gaps. This enables the app to provide personalized, actionable insights to help users improve their adherence and manage their condition better.
Stress management
Stress can have a big impact on hypertension as rising blood pressure is often linked to mood changes making individuals more vulnerable to stress and sudden mood fluctuations. Managing stress is crucial for blood pressure control. Stress can raise blood pressure so managing stress is crucial for blood pressure levels.
Tools like Heartery help users manage their stress levels by incorporating AI-driven techniques like answering random positive questions which have been shown to reduce blood pressure.
Dietary tracking
AI-based tools can analyze food intake to help users control salt intake which is a key factor in blood pressure regulation. The general advice of avoiding salty foods isn’t helpful for hypertensive patients because it’s not specific. Patients must stay under 5 grams of salt a day.
For patients with diabetes, who are more prone to developing high blood pressure, managing blood sugar levels is also important to reduce the risk of related cardiovascular issues. Shen AI has multiple health metrics including BMI, waist-to-height ratio, stress index, heart rate, and blood pressure all from a simple face scan. By adding more information such as age, weight, gender, and lifestyle factors, users can get more personalized insights beyond basic measurements to track and manage their health better.
Physical activity
Many hypertensives are afraid of their heart when exercising, avoiding physical activity when they should do the opposite. High-intensive cardio exercises that aim to raise the pulse to about 70% of its maximum help the heart pump blood, reducing the force it requires (blood pressure). Regular physical activity is key to lowering high blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health.
Sleep
Lack of quality sleep can raise blood pressure in hypertensive patients so tracking sleep is crucial. Wearables can track total sleep, REM, light and deep sleep, and resting heart rate. When lifestyle changes alone are not enough, medication may be needed to manage high blood pressure. Patients can compare their sleep data to the scans on Shen AI and Heartery to compare their HRV during the day and night and aim to improve their sleep quality and blood pressure over time.
Wrap-up
Managing hypertension requires more than just medication—it needs a holistic approach that addresses early diagnosis, continuous monitoring, stress management and lifestyle changes. All that is a supplement to appropriate hypertension treatment prescribed hy a healthcare professional. With AI-powered tools like Shen AI and Heartery, individuals can take control of their health from the comfort of their own homes. By providing real-time vital signs, supporting medication adherence and offering personalized recommendations, these tools fill the gaps of traditional care. As hypertension is a global health challenge, integrating AI into daily health routines can be a game-changer, empowering people to manage their condition proactively and live healthier, longer lives.
Click here to watch the full recording of the webinar with Leo Rosenbaum, the co-founder of Heartery, and Remi Koscielny, CEO of Shen AI.