Hypertensive patients need to pay close attention to data changes

If you have high blood pressure, keeping a close eye on your numbers is important. For that, you’ll need a home blood pressure monitor.

Research suggests that self-monitoring of blood pressure can lead to lower blood pressure numbers and, if you have uncontrolled hypertension, may help you get it under control.

And for certain people, a home blood pressure monitor can help diagnose hypertension in the first place. A 2019 study in the journal Hypertension found that almost 46 percent of all U.S. adults could benefit from blood pressure monitoring outside the doctor’s office. That’s partly because home blood pressure checks can help get around phenomena like “masked” and “white coat” hypertension, in which in-office blood pressure measurements are lower or higher, respectively, than they are in daily life.

How Widespread Is High Blood Pressure?

According to the latest guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, blood pressure of 130/80 mmHg or above constitutes hypertension. By that definition, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 47 percent of all U.S. adults have high blood pressure. Of those, many may not know they have the condition.

High blood pressure also affects different racial and ethnic groups unequally in the U.S. Notably, 56 percent of Black adults have hypertension, compared with 48 percent of white adults, according to the CDC. And while Asian and Hispanic adults have lower rates of high blood pressure than white and Black adults, white adults with hypertension are more likely than Asian, Black, or Hispanic adults with hypertension to have it under control.

Many factors appear to contribute to these disparities: A 2017 study in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes cited a lack of access to healthcare and quality insurance coverage as two important issues, while other studies have pointed to significant levels of chronic stress as a factor in the higher rates of hypertension in Black adults, including stress induced by racism and discrimination.

Experts have emphasized the need for research focused on better prevention and treatment of hypertension for Black Americans.

But until we have that research, for anyone with hypertension, a good blood pressure control plan includes exercise, a healthy diet, and (for some) medications. It can also include using a home blood pressure monitor.

But what’s the best home blood pressure monitor for you? Consumer Reports tests home blood pressure monitors for accuracy, ease of operation, and how they feel to wearers. After all, “you aren’t going to want to use the product if it’s not comfortable,” says Susan Booth, who oversees home blood pressure monitor testing at CR.