Value of Constant Blood Pressure Testing

A device that checks blood pressure all day and night can spot danger better than office tests, a study finds. The study included 556 people. All had very high blood pressure despite drug treatment. Some received blood pressure tests in doctors’ offices. Others wore a device that measured their blood pressure every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night. The study lasted about five years. Home monitoring did a better job of predicting who was more likely to die or have a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or related problems. The study was in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it November 24.