In some estimations nearly 1 in 3 American adults has high blood pressure. Once high blood pressure develops, it usually lasts a lifetime. It is very important to control and treat high blood pressure as many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard and it also results in the hardening of artery walls. High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke. Very high pressure can cause a break in a weakened blood vessel, which then bleeds in the brain resulting in a stroke. If a blood clot blocks one of the narrowed by hardening arteries, it can also cause a stroke. Sometimes high blood pressure can cause blood vessels in the eye to burst or bleed, what can impair vision and can result in blindness. High blood pressure also increases the risk for heart disease and for heart attack. As arteries bring oxygen-carrying blood to the heart muscle the artery hardening and narrowing due to high blood pressure may cause the heart not to get enough oxygen, and may result in a chest pain, also known as angina. When the flow of blood in heart arteries is blocked, that results in a heart attack. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for congestive heart failure, a serious condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs. It can also cause a kidney disease. That happens over time, with high blood pressure narrowing and thickening the blood vessels of the kidneys. When it happens, the kidneys filter less fluid, and metabolic waste builds up in the blood. In certain stages the kidneys may fail altogether and medical intervention as dialysis or a kidney transplant may be necessary.

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute under normal conditions in adults who are not taking medicines to treat high blood pressure and are not having certain other illnesses a blood pressure reading below 120/80 mmHg is considered normal. When your systolic pressure reaches 120-139 or your diastolic pressure reaches 80-89 then it is considered prehypertension. According to that classification there are two stages of high blood pressure:
- Stage 1 when systolic pressure reaches 140-149 or diastolic pressure reaches 90-99, and
- Stage 2 when systolic pressure is 160 or higher or when diastolic pressure is 100 or higher.
As an example a blood pressure 120/100 mmHg is considered Stage 2 high blood pressure.

Two methods have been used most frequently for non invasive blood pressure measurement. The first method, usually used in ambulatory settings is called an auscultatory (from the Latin for listening) method, and requires the use of a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer. In this method an inflatable cuff of appropriate size is placed around the upper arm and kept at the heart level and is attached to a mercury or aneroid manometer. In auscultatory method the cuff is inflated manually and listening with the stethoscope to the brachial artery at the elbow, while slowly releasing the pressure in the cuff allows an experienced examiner to take a correct reading. In the second method called oscillometric method, which is frequently used in general practice and also in at home measurements, an electronic pressure sensor is fitted in the cuff to detect blood flow, instead of using the stethoscope. Most frequently in such monitors the cuff is inflated and released by an electrically operated pump and valve. Oscillometric monitors often vary widely in accuracy, and should be checked at specified intervals and if necessary recalibrated. There are certain restrictions when, oscillometric monitors do not give correct readings, like in certain medical conditions such as arterial sclerosis, arrhythmia and also some others.

Certain advantage of taking blood pressure readings at home or work with a home blood pressure monitoring device is to help avoid false readings from the so called white coat hypertension effect (when readings taken in ambulatory settings tend to be higher then those taken at home for some people). As increasingly more people are measuring their own blood pressure at home, there is more interest to know what devices are recommended. There is a wide range of blood pressure meters available to the public with plenty of good choices along with some not so good ones. It is thus important to do at least a minimal research to be able to make an informed purchase, which should serve well your health. When choosing a blood pressure monitor you need to consider several factors before you make a purchase decision. First of all you will need to decide on an Aneroid Blood Pressure Monitor versus a Digital Blood Pressure Monitor. The aneroid monitors have a round, glass covered dial that gives you the reading (it replaces the mercury manometer in professional clinical monitors), and they usually have manually pumped cuffs and are accompanied by a stethoscope. As such they require some skills in taking blood pressure – which in fact can be quickly and easily learnt. The digital monitors have either manually or automatic pumped cuffs and come with a built in LCD screen that shows the reading. Recently many popular models allow for wrist or even finger readings. The digital blood pressure monitors are the easiest to use. The other important factors that you may need to consider when choosing a blood pressure monitor are the cuff sizes. Some monitors come with large and small cuffs. It is essential that the correct size of cuff for the circumference of the patient’s arm is used. If the cuff is too small, the blood pressure readings are too high and with an over-large cuff blood pressure reading are too low. In practice, cuffs must be clearly marked with the appropriate maximum and minimum arm sizes to which they apply. As the accuracy might be the most important factor you need to realize that some “cool” looking finger cuff or watch based units may frequently not be as accurate as arm units for some people. The same may also concern certain wrist models. Moreover, a systematic error can occur due to differences in the position of the wrist relative to the heart. The other blood pressure monitor features are more of your personal preference nature and may include:

- Automatic inflation with fuzzy logic – usually automatically adjusts to changes in your blood pressure and allows simple, one button operation.

- Memory features – some digital models have memory features build in and allow to store certain numbers of readings in the device internal memory.

- Display size – some oversized displays are easier to read and they may show other unit features as clock, date, memory stored data, etc.

- Power supply – there are models that may include AC adapter for home use convenience.

- PC connection – some newest model come with software and cables to connect to personal computers, what gives the ability of better data storage and usually of much better graphical representation and analysis of long term measurements. Additionally, they allow for easy printing out of the long term reading takings to present them to your doctor.

- Easy of use – if you are not a techno geek you may like to stick with simper models not overloaded with functions, which you may never use and which sometimes can make the use of base functions confusing. Remember, it’s a blood pressure meter you are looking for.

- Warranty – may vary from one to several years.

- Price – buying online may usually bring your costs down, but you will need to do your research, and it is always safer to buy from a reputable company in case you have warranty issues or you would simply like to return the product. There are several reputable online companies which sell blood pressure monitors.

If you are not sure if your home blood pressure monitor gives you correct readings, you may take it with you to your doctor’s office and compare there the readings of your monitor to those taken on the same occasion by your nurse or doctor using their professional monitor.

A common misconception is that the high blood pressure does not develop and thus does not need to be checked until person reaches a middle age. In fact, even children as young as 6 years old can have a high blood pressure. The American Heart Association advises to start having your blood pressure checked at an early age to help prevent the development of debilitating high blood pressure related conditions.

Talk to your doctor or your nurse about monitoring at home. Many health professionals actively encourage people with high blood pressure to take and monitor their readings themselves. You can discuss how often you need to take readings and when you need to contact your doctor’s office. You can work together with your health care provider to ensure you are well informed and that your blood pressure is being treated effectively.

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