Blood Pressure Should Be Regularly Monitored At Home

Everyone at risk for high blood pressure should monitor it regularly at home to give a clear picture of blood pressure changes and to make it possible for doctors to give proper treatment for every patient.

American Heart Association announced the urgency of regular blood pressure monitoring, and most of major health organizations and professionals agreed agreed with this advice. Patients go to a doctor, have blood pressure measured once and receive a treatment according to just one measuring, but this is wrong.

There are lots of factors affecting blood pressure and it is impossible to have a proper treatment taking into consideration only one measurement. For example, there are people with 'white coat hypertension' - they have blood pressure higher when they are at the doctor's place because they are depressed. There are about 20% of hypertension patients suffering from this nervous condition. For them home high blood pressure at home is 135/85 mm Hg and at doctor's place 140/90 mm Hg. There are some 10% of patients suffering from a similar condition, but they have blood pressure lower at doctor's place than they have at home.

American Heart Association also advises that wrist monitors are easy to use, but they are inaccurate. Upper-arm are better, but they are also difficult to use. The association also urges everyone to check if their devices are properly or not by taking them to a doctor. They can compare doctor's results to their own measurement results on place and to make sure that the device is on. The devices cost fro $50 to $100 and are widely available though internet or pharmacy shops.

Health officials recommend that blood pressure should be checked regularly - twice in the morning and twice in the evening just before going to bed. This will let everyone understand the reasons of blood pressure variations and adopt healthy lifestyle rules. For example, when one monitors blood pressure just after having a cigarette and a cup of coffee, he will see that blood pressure is higher than it should be and will understand how these bad habits affect health.

High blood pressure mainly occurs in elderly and older people must be especially watchful to it. Pregnant women, diabetics, and those with kidney disease must also regularly monitor blood pressure, because the condition is common for these patients.

Hypertension is a condition when blood pulses through vessels very strongly, leading to organ damage, such as kidney and heart. The condition leads to hundreds of thousands deaths. The condition is recognised to be the most widespread and inadequately treated condition. It is estimated that 2 points of blood pressure drop gives a 4% heart death risk cut. These measurement requirements will not necessarily improve the condition, but the data will make it possible for patients to understand how it progresses and give individual blood pressure treatment to each patient.