Overview
- After seeing a social media tip, Caite Smith used her iPhone microphone with the Health app to capture her heartbeat and noticed her rate stayed abnormally high.
- She showed the audio clips to clinicians, who sent her to A&E for repeat ECGs and blood tests that found excess thyroid hormones linked to Graves' disease.
- Doctors monitored her overnight for a heart rate spike and treated her with medication to slow her pulse before giving radioactive iodine to reduce thyroid activity.
- She had earlier dismissed palpitations, dizziness and a racing heart as anxiety, and a prior ECG looked normal, which delayed her seeking help.
- Her TikTok of the recording drew about 15.4 million views and more than 2.2 million likes, and she now advises recording at rest in a quiet room and getting checked if anything seems off.