High Blood Pressure at Home Improves the Risk of Myocardial Infarction
Elevated blood pressure indicates high risk for myocardial infarction (heart attack), but high blood pressure sometimes cannot be captured at the doctor's office.
Elevated blood pressure is the leading risk factor of cardiovascular disease, causing 9.4 million deaths in each year 
– according to the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2010. However, higher than normal blood pressure sometimes remains hidden in clinical environment. If blood pressure taken in the office is normal, but home or ambulatory blood pressure is high, masked hypertension can be diagnosed.
According to a recent study, the findings of which is based on an extended analysis that involved more than 5 thousand patients with untreated hypertension, patients with masked hypertension are more likely to die than those patients with optimal blood pressure.
The Risk Factors of Masked Hypertension
- male gender
- smoking
- diabetes
- history of cardiovascular disease
- obesity
- older age
Current guidelines for the diagnosis and control of hypertension are based on the evaluation of conventionally measured blood pressure, which is the average of 2 consecutive measurements taken in the doctor's office. However, self-measured home blood pressure or ambulatory blood pressure measurement predicts outcome more accurately. Consequently, more emphasis should be taken to filter masked hypertension, particularly in case of those with the risk factors above.
Meditech, the leading manufacturer of ambulatory blood pressure monitors and Holter ECG devices is committed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The company combines ease of use and simplicity with advanced technology.