The effective diagnosis and treatment of hypertension by the primary care physician: impact of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
BACKGROUND
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has been described as an effective method for the diagnosis and formulation of the treatment of hypertension by the primary care physician.


METHODS
Sixty patients selected from a suburban private primary care practice participated in a study that compared measurements of office blood pressures using a mercury sphygmomanometer with the same pressures recorded by ABPM.


RESULTS
Blood pressures and blood pressure loads measured by ABPM were significantly lower than blood pressures and pressure loads recorded in the office setting.


CONCLUSIONS
Blood pressure recorded by ABPM differed from the same measurements made by office or casual sphygmomanometry. Use of ABPM changed diagnosis or treatment of hypertension in borderline and antihypertensive drug-treated patients. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a useful tool for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension by the primary care physician. It can be used to identify white-coat hypertension in various patient populations.
Ferguson
J H
JH
Department of Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46260.
Shaar
C J
CJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015924:Blood Pressure Monitors / Q000592:standards*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005194:Family Practice / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits; D015203:Reproducibility of Results