Hypertension and blood Pressure Monitoring

High blood pressure (hypertension) increases your chances of developing serious heart disease. For most people, there are often no particular symptoms and therefore you may be unaware that you have high blood pressure.

• Normal blood pressure (middle-aged or older): check your blood pressure every 5 years.
• High blood pressure: check your BP frequently as advised by your GP

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, it means your blood pressure is consistently higher than it should be. The higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Why do we use ABPM instead of normal BP measurement?

There are a number of reasons why your doctor might recommend ABPM:

• Suspected masked or hidden hypertension: ABPM provides a more accurate reading of your blood pressure across 24 hours, instead of a single snapshot at a particular point in the day.
• Suspected of having night-time hypertension: A drop in BP at night compared with during the day, is common with sleep apnoea.
• BP does not lower: despite taking medication prescribed to help lower it.
• Suspected low BP: Dizziness or weakness can be a symptoms of low BP.

What’s involved in using a 24hr BP Monitor

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring – the gold standard in BP Monitoring

Setting up a BP monitor will take about 15 minutes. The blood pressure cuff will automatically inflate and deflate, this procedure is typically commenced by one of our expert nurses.

Attaching the monitor

A blood pressure cuff is placed on your upper arm. The cuff stays on your upper arm for a full 24 hours. It is linked to a recording monitor, small enough to be worn on a belt on your waist.

Once the cuff and monitor are comfortably positioned, you will leave the hospital and go about your daily activities as normal. The monitor will measure and record your blood pressure and heart rate at regular intervals.

You will return to the surgery 24 hours later to have your monitor removed, you will also have an ecg to determine any cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heart beat).Your Gp will review the measurements on your monitor.

Simple lifestyle or medication changes are often the next steps that you are recommended to take in order to lower your blood pressure.