Apple Watch Could Help Treat Sickle Cell Disease Symptoms, Study Suggests

The Apple Watch can help treat a key symptom of sickle cell disease and changes to Apple's speech recognition algorithm could help people with a stutter, new studies propose.

apple watch series 6 product red back
According to a study conducted by researchers at Duke University's Day Hospital (via MyHealthyApple), the Apple Watch could help treat vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), a key complication caused by sickle cell disease that often hospitalizes patients due to severe pain. The research indicates that machine learning using the Apple Watch's collected health data can discover trends to predict pain among people with sickle cell disease, which could provide an early warning signal and enable treatment via painkillers and saline hydration before it becomes more severe.

Researchers enrolled patients with sickle cell disease to Day Hospital for a VOC between July 2021 and September 2021 into the study, providing them with an Apple Watch Series 3 for the duration of their visit. 15,683 data points from the Apple Watch's heart rate, heart rate variability, and activity data were cross-referenced with pain scores and vital signs from the hospital's electronic medical record to create a machine learning model to predict VOCs.

In another newly published study submitted by Colin Lea, a research scientist at Apple who works on machine learning and accessibility related features, it is proposed that changes to Apple's speech recognition algorithm and machine learning could help alleviate problems for people with a stutter, significantly reducing cut-off utterances and word error rates by almost 80 percent.

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...

Top Rated Comments

MayaUser Avatar
30 months ago
This Apple Watch started slow, with nobody knowing what it can do or how can it be usefull....and in 10 years can be a must have health accessory
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vicviper789 Avatar
30 months ago
I wish there was a feature to zap my wrist when I go to pick up a donut
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
Another reason why Apple Watch is the best ⌚️ watch in this world. ?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crowbot Avatar
30 months ago

This Apple Watch started slow, with nobody knowing what it can do or how can it be usefull....and in 10 years can be a must have health accessory
Right. I realized the benefit of the Apple Watch the first time I fell (not serious) and the fall detection went off. It makes me feel safer.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sdz Avatar
30 months ago

There's so much untapped potential in Apple Watch still to come with new sensors down the road.

Personally, I would love to see Apple venture into mental wellbeing - for example, imagine the watch is able to tell when you are stressed or anxious, and then it interrupts that unproductive pattern by offering instructions to breathe or meditate.

Could be a game changer for people who chronically worry or stress.
Hey you! Put that glass of wine down! *Vibration intensifies*
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
30 months ago

Right. I realized the benefit of the Apple Watch the first time I fell (not serious) and the fall detection went off. It makes me feel safer.
I just fell the other day (not serious either). Was out for a walk and tripped on an uneven sidewalk. Fall detection did go off. It’s a good thing to have.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)