Caite Smith, from Merseyside, brushed off her initial symptoms of Graves’ disease, including her dizziness and fast-beating heart, but an app on her iPhone proved vital
A young woman who dismissed her symptoms of a heart condition was finally diagnosed after using an app on her iPhone.
Caite Smith stumbled upon a video on social media urging people to record their heartbeat using the iPhone’s microphone and upload the beats per minute into the Health app. The 21-year-old woman was able to recognise her heart was beating too quickly and she was able to seek medical advice.
Caite, from Merseyside, says the hack saved her life because she was soon diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune condition. She had initially put her symptoms, such as the fast-beating heart, down to anxiety.
Speaking today, the bartender said: “When I first heard how fast my heart was beating, I was shocked and immediately felt that it wasn’t normal. After doing it a few more times, it confirmed to me that my heart was beating consistently fast. But being only young, I wasn’t sure what it could be — or how serious it was.”
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Caite decided to upload a video of her heartbeats to TikTok, where she racked up 15.4 million views and more than 2.2 million likes. She explained on the social media app that her shirt would often move due to how fast her heart was beating, but she had experienced anxiety at the time.
The bartender recognised her symptoms were that of Graves’ disease, an over activity of the thyroid gland, for which she was prescribed medication to lower her heart rate, followed by radioactive iodine treatment to destroy the affected thyroid cells and reduce hormone production.
Recalling her diagnosis, Caite said: “I was terrified. I cried immediately after being told and had a panic attack. I was in complete shock. I honestly never suspected I’d have heart issues, especially as no one in my family has any history of health problems.”
The young woman, who also lost a significant amount of weight during her ordeal, now hopes to raise awareness and urge people to do the same if they feel something isn’t right. She continued: “Without doing this, I would never have known my heart was beating as fast as it was and I would have been living thinking I was healthy.
“I wanted to share it to show that something that seems harmless or interesting online can sometimes have a deeper meaning. There have been a number of people commenting who have had the same issue, so it was nice to see that I haven’t been alone in what I’ve endured.
“If you’re trying it, I’d say do it in a quiet environment and while you’re resting. It’s easier to hear your heartbeat clearly that way. Just make sure you’re not to strong, too hard with your phone. If you notice anything unusual or something that doesn’t feel right, it’s always best to get checked out by a professional.”
