Better BP testing to save lives

TESTING blood pressure over 24 hours could save thousands more lives, experts say.

Traditional methods used in clinics for decades are known to give false readings because they do not allow for factors like patient anxiety or recent exercise like climbing stairs.

The largest study of its kind assessed 63,000 patients who were tested using traditional methods.

They were then measured using a pocket-sized device, which records blood pressure across a 24-hour period.

The machine, known as ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) can be worn at home and takes measurements every 20 to 30 minutes.

The study at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at University College, London, found this was 50 per cent more accurate.

Risk

Professor Bryan Williams said: “For decades, doctors have known that blood pressure measured in-clinic could be masked or elevated, simply because the patient was in a medical setting, and this could lead to the wrong or a missed diagnosis.

“This research is a clear gamechanger, as for the first time, it definitively shows that blood pressure measured regularly during a 24-hour period predicts the risk of heart disease, stroke and death much better than blood pressure measured in a doctor’s surgery or clinic.

“With a much more accurate assessment of a patient’s blood pressure, doctors will be able to provide the most effective treatments at the earliest opportunity, which will save many more lives.”

High blood pressure is the leading preventable cause of premature death globally and affects around 25 per cent of all adults.