Hypertension patients can be their own doctors

Published: by Interim HealthCare in Chronic Disease

One in every three American adults has high blood pressure, and only about half of those patients have their condition under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before leading to other health issues, hypertension can be treated with careful monitoring and medication.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the Universities of Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge concluded that it’s beneficial for patients with hypertension to monitor their blood pressure at home.

The trial

Funded by the National Institute for Health Research, the trial included over 1,000 patients with poorly controlled blood pressure. The researchers compared conventional clinical care for blood pressure management with two types of home monitoring. One was self-monitoring, whereby patients mail in their reports, and the other telemonitoring, which allows them to submit their reports by text message. The patients in the home monitoring groups checked their blood pressure twice in the morning and evening using an electronic monitor.

After a year, the results showed that systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in both home monitoring groups, when compared to those patients who went in to the clinic. Furthermore, the at-home patients showed no signs of anxiety or extreme shifts in weight, diet or physical activity that could have led to the changes in blood pressure.

According to the researchers, the trial provides evidence that doctors can prescribe home monitoring for patients with hypertension to achieve significantly lower blood pressure levels. This home monitoring saves doctors time, and is cheap and simple for patients to manage. The researchers further predicted other health benefits, such as a 20 percent reduction in stroke risk and 10 percent lowered risk of coronary heart disease.

Health risks of high blood pressure

Hypertension itself is often preventable or treatable, but it creates a significant risk for developing other severe conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. According to the Mayo Clinic, high blood pressure can cause severe damage to the patient’s arteries, heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. It can also lead to obesity, sleeping issues and sexual dysfunction.

This high risk is why patients with hypertension must be monitored frequently for any significant changes or need for adjustments in medications. If patients can monitor their blood pressure at home and see the same positive results from the study, it could relieve the pressure of getting to their doctor’s offices so often.

According to Dr. James Hodgkinson at the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Health Research, self-monitoring “could become the cornerstone of hypertension management in primary care.” Thus, doctors and patients should consider the benefits of home monitoring in the future.