What is Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is a serious health issue that affects nearly 40% to 50% of the population.

Blood is a fluid connective tissue that is transported to all parts of our body via arteries. It is essential in supplying blood to organs.

The force of blood against the arteries is referred to as blood pressure. Individuals should keep their blood pressure between 90 and 120 mm Hg / 60 and 80 mm Hg. Blood pressure is represented by two numbers, which is systolic and diastolic pressure.

1. Systolic Blood Pressure.

2. Diastolic Blood Pressure.

There are two alternative technologies for measuring out-of-office blood pressure.

• Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is a self-monitoring tool that is recommended by doctors and can be implemented into the care of patients with hypertension.

• Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) devices are worn by patients for a 24-hour period and are considered the gold standard for BP measurement. ABPM monitors are expensive and, while useful for diagnosing hypertension, are impractical for long-term blood pressure monitoring.

• Digital Blood Pressure Monitors

Also known as an electronic blood pressure monitor or an automatic blood pressure monitor. These are equipped with wrist and arm cuffs. However, arm cuff digital monitors are thought to be more precise than wrist monitors. They include a display monitor that shows the results. More of these had only one simple button. Wrap the cuff around your wrist and press the button; that's all there is to it. The only disadvantage is that they are more expensive and, in some cases, do not provide accurate results if the cuff is not wrapped properly. When working with a digital monitor, it is much better to take 2-3 readings.


• Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor

An upper arm blood pressure monitor is the most common type of home BP monitor that is recommended for the most consistency and accuracy.
These have an inflatable cuff that wraps around your upper arm and reads your blood pressure from your brachial artery.


• Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor

Wrist blood pressure monitors attach to your wrist and read your blood pressure. A wrist blood pressure monitor can be accurate, but only if used exactly as directed in the user's manual.
They are more comfortable to wear, but they are extremely sensitive to your body position and the device's attachment to your wrist.
Your arm and wrist must be at heart level for an accurate reading, and in many cases, blood pressure measurements taken from the wrist are usually higher than those taken from your upper arm, and it is less accurate.
It is generally recommended for you to get an apparatus which will measure blood pressure in your upper arm,wrist.


• Finger Blood Pressure Monitor

This is a small, noninvasive electronic device that is very useful for those of you who need to monitor your blood pressure at home on a regular basis. Pregnant women are a good example.
On a daily basis, you can quickly use the device to keep a close eye on your blood pressure levels. This allows you to quickly determine if they are suffering from hypertension caused by pregnancy.


• Wireless Blood Pressure Monitoring Using Bluetooth

Bluetooth technology is used to operate this blood pressure monitor. To begin taking a reading, you place the gadget on your arm and use an app loaded into your Apple or Android smartphone or tablet device.
It will send systolic, diastolic, and pulse rate measurements to your connected smartphone, which you may view and record. The fact that a record of your reading is preserved on a safe and backed-up database is also a plus. This means you can use any computer or device with an internet connection to access the information.

• Better blood pressure control
• HBPM is also less expensive and easier to use than 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) for diagnosing white-coat hypertension and predicting cardiovascular risk.
• Avoids white-coat reaction to BP measurement by taking repeated readings over a long period of time
• Reproducible. HBPM allows for a greater number of readings, more reproducible readings than office readings, and better correlations with target organ damage metrics.
• Accurately predicts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality when compared to office blood pressure. HBPM is more accurate than office blood pressure in predicting CV and stroke morbidity and mortality. HBPM promotes patient-centered treatment while also improving blood pressure control and patient outcomes.
• Can diagnose white-coat and masked hypertension. The white-coat effect, defined as elevated office blood pressure reading and low home blood pressure reading, which can appear as incredibly high clinic readings. In primary care settings, the use of automated blood pressure measurements has significantly reduced this effect. The opposite phenomenon, which is normal clinic BP and elevated out-of-clinic BP, is known as masked hypertension and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular risk.
• Compliance and Improvement of Blood Pressure Control. Implementing HBPM into routine care for patients with uncontrolled hypertension may improve blood pressure control.
• Enables patients to gain a better understanding of hypertension management. It's also been suggested that if patients can grasp their own blood pressure readings and understand how treatment affects them, they'll be more ready to stick to medical therapy in the long run, even if it doesn't seem to be helping them feel better.
• Tele-monitoring allows healthcare professionals to monitor patients remotely. HBPM is most effective when combined with input from a healthcare professional, such as Tele-monitoring, in which readings taken at home are instantly relayed to a primary healthcare professional who can lead treatment along a specified algorithm in such a way that readings collected more directly influence treatment. Tele-monitoring eliminates the need for the patient to travel and saves time for the healthcare team.
• Detects increased blood pressure variability
• It’s affordable. BP monitoring is simpler to implement and requires less labour and capital investment than ABPM in the diagnosis and management of hypertension.

• It has been observed that some devices are inaccurate.
• Cuff placement can affect accuracy
• May cause anxiety and excessive monitoring;
• Risk of patients changing their treatment based on casual home measurements taken without the guidance of a doctor
• Inadequate nocturnal recording
• Many countries' insurance companies have yet to reimburse them.

If you're using HBPM to confirm a hypertension diagnosis, make sure you:

• Two consecutive readings are taken with the person seated, at least 1 minute apart
• Blood pressure is recorded twice a day, ideally in the morning and evening.
• BP is recorded for at least 4 days, ideally for 7 days.

• Follow the manufacturer's directions for your monitor. Make sure the cuff is wrapped around your arm as directed in the instructions.
• Adjust the arm cuff so that it is just above your elbow. The cuff should be around 2cm above your elbow to ensure that it can detect the artery immediately beneath the skin in your arm.
• While taking your reading, be still and quiet. Moving, chewing, talking, and laughing can all have an impact on your reading ability. Make sure you're not crossing your legs, as this will also increase your reading.
• Take two or three readings, one to two minutes apart, each time. If your first reading is significantly higher than your second, disregard it and take a third reading. You can calculate the average once you have two or three readings.
• Keeping track of your measurements is a good idea. All of your readings should be saved in the memory of your monitor, on your computer or phone, or on paper, depending on your preference.
• Takedown the words precisely as they appear on the screen. Don't take your measurements when wearing clothes.

A medical expert must validate a diagnosis of high blood pressure. Any very low blood pressure results should be evaluated by a doctor.