Role of whole-day ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the management of hypertension.
As we learn more about hypertension, it is becoming increasingly apparent that conventional blood pressure measurements are fraught with potential error. Noninvasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is proving to be extremely valuable in both diagnosis and treatment. Advancing medical technology has provided small, noninvasive, reliable systems what are well tolerated by patients. The commercial availability of these systems facilitates their use in both clinical practice and in research. There have been legitimate concerns that continuous blood pressure monitoring may add considerably to the costs of diagnosing and treating hypertension. These worries, however, may be misplaced. If there are indeed as many patients being treated unnecessarily as has been suggested by many studies, then the money saved on drugs may well cover the costs of prolonged blood pressure monitoring. Moreover, many subjects can be spared unnecessary therapy. Although much work needs to be done with larger groups of patients followed over longer periods of time, the early experiences with 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring have been extremely encouraging. These procedures have added to our understanding of hypertension and of the agents used in its treatment and are rapidly assuming an increasing importance in overall management.
Neutel
J M
JM
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000191:economics; D015924:Blood Pressure Monitors / Q000592:standards; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents