Home blood pressure measuring effective

Blood pressure measured at home is as accurate as 24-hour ambulatory monitoring, so either of these can be used to adjust medication taken to lower blood pressure. Previous studies have not directly compared blood pressure measurements obtained by ambulatory monitoring, using a recorder that is worn continuously for 24 hours, with an at-home measuring device. Researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, enrolled 98 patients who had untreated high blood pressure, who were randomly assigned to routine home monitoring or ambulatory monitoring. At 6-week intervals, average home blood pressure measurement or one 24-hour session of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was used to adjust their anti-hypertensive treatment to bring their blood pressure down to a target level. During 6 months of follow-up, it was found that blood pressure decreased significantly in both groups, and the changes were not significantly different between the two methods. The main clinical implication of the study is that home blood pressure measurement can be used effectively for guiding anti-hypertensive treatment. The home approach is more convenient and better accepted by the patients for long-term use and also less costly compared to ambulatory monitoring. However, additional research is needed to provide more conclusive results.