British research published in The Lancet found that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring — taking measurements outside a clinic throughout a 24-hour period — is the most cost-effective way to diagnose hypertension.
Traditionally, a diagnosis of high blood pressure has been based on readings taken during an office visit. But ambulatory monitoring (wearing a blood pressure cuff attached to a blood pressure machine) that takes blood pressure readings every 30 minutes during the day and once an hour overnight, gives a more complete overview of a patient's blood pressure. Patients are fitted with the monitor, wear it for 24 hours and bring it back the next day. The clinic downloads data into a computer and generates a report.
Long-term studies have shown that the average blood pressure over a 24-hour period is a better indicator of future cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, than single blood pressure readings made during regular doctor visits. Ambulatory monitoring is also more accurate in diagnosing hypertension correctly, since about one in four patients who have a raised reading during an office visit will not have elevated readings over a 24-hour period.
In addition to added accuracy, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was found to be cost-effective in diagnosing hypertension for men and women of all ages. It confirmed genuine hypertension, and prevented people whose blood pressure was elevated due to the "white-coat effect" from receiving unnecessary treatment.
