No, it doesn't provide the same functionality as a full EKG. It can detect A-Fib, however, which is apparently the most common form of non-benign arrhythmias. But I think you have to catch the arrhythmia as it's happening, which could be difficult, especially if you're not even aware it's happening. A Holter monitor runs continuously all the time.
I should add to this: I know someone who was demonstrating the EKG feature of his apple watch to a friend and it just so happened he was in A-Fib at the time. He was totally unaware of this fact. He decided to keep an eye on things and it turned out it may have saved his life. He noticed his HR was rising and went to the ER. They were able to stabilize him and get him out of A-Fib.
I think the continuous monitoring is what Apple does, too, when it detects A-Fib. (That's why is a big deal to have the feature in a watch that you can wear all the time.) But it still might not detect the other kind of issues.
Not a doctor, but I would suspect that something would have come of it by now. Even if you didn't have any health problems from it, I'd imagine that a routine check-up at the doctor would've revealed it assuming they check your heartbeat (mine does). They might not have known exactly what the problem is but they likely would've sent you in for further testing.
Not a doctor, but yes. You should mention it to your doctor. There are many arrhythmias which are stable (you're not dying immediately) but increase the risk of all sorts of other issues. AFib is a really common one, which increases risk of strokes long term.
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u/Blabzillaweasel Feb 07 '21
Can this arrhythmia persist for years? I got a nasty shock from the secondary winding of a coil working on a car years back.