People With No Partners Less Likely to Monitor BP at Home

For the millions of people out there with high blood pressure, intermittent blood pressure checks at the doctor's office might not be enough. Having a proper high school diploma and a partner are equally important, as according to a study, lower education level and having no partner are associated with a lower frequency of home blood pressure monitoring. Having less than a high school diploma and no partner was associated with a lower frequency of home blood pressure monitoring. The researchers assessed the data of 6,113 U.S. adults from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The findings indicated that the number of American adults checking blood pressure at home at least monthly has increased about four per cent (from 21.7 percent in 2009-2010 to 25.5 percent in 2013-2014). The adults, who had high blood pressure, were aware of it and were being treated, showed higher rates of home monitoring.

The American Heart Association recommends home monitoring for all people with high blood pressure. Home monitoring allows hypertensive individuals to take ownership of their treatment and help healthcare providers determine whether the treatments are working or not. It also helps to evaluate the potential false readings that differ between the doctor's office and at home.

This recommendation is in concert with the American Heart Association and American Medical Association's nationwide initiative, to target: BP, which encourages health care providers to reach and sustain a blood pressure control rate of 70 percent or higher among their patients. The study is presented at the American Heart Association's Council on Hypertension 2017 Scientific Sessions.

Source-ANI