When and how to use self (home) and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

This American Society of Hypertension position paper focuses on the importance of out-of-office blood pressure (BP) measurement for the clinical management of patients with hypertension and its complications. Studies have supported direct and independent associations of cardiovascular risk with ambulatory BP and inverse associations with the degree of BP reduction from day to night. Self-monitoring of the BP (or home BP monitoring) also has advantages in evaluating patients with hypertension, especially those already on drug treatment, but less is known about its relation to future cardiovascular events. Data derived from ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) allow the identification of high-risk patients, independent from the BP obtained in the clinic or office setting. While neither ABPM nor self-BP monitoring are mandatory for the routine diagnosis of hypertension, these modalities can enhance the ability for identification of white-coat and masked hypertension and evaluate the extent of BP control in patients on drug therapy. J Am Soc Hypertens 2010;4(2):56-61. (C) 2010 American Society of Hypertension. All rights reserved.