SCRANTON, Kan. (AP) — An Apple Watch may have helped save a Kansas woman’s life by alerting her to her rapid heartbeat.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Heather Hendershot went to an urgent care clinic and then to Stormont Vail Health’s emergency room after the watch alerted her to her above average heart rate.

Endocrinologist Alan Wynne says blood tests determined Hendershot had moderate to severe hyperthyroidism. The condition occurs when the thyroid pumps too much hormone into the bloodstream. Symptoms include a rapid heart rate, tremors, shortness of breath and chest pain.

Wynne says the condition can be fatal in extreme situations if left untreated.

Hendershot’s only symptom was the rapid heart rate.

Apple Watches use LED lights and light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing in an individual’s wrist.

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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com

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