Clinical utility of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the management of hypertension

Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2014 May;12(5):623-34. doi: 10.1586/14779072.2014.903155. Epub 2014 Mar 29.

Abstract

Accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement is essential for the diagnosis, monitoring and management of hypertension. However, conventional office-based BP readings have several limitations that include a low reproducibility, the white-coat effect and the existence of masked hypertension. These limitations can be addressed through the use of ambulatory BP monitoring. Because ambulatory monitoring provides measurements at specific time intervals throughout a 24-hour period, this technique represents a better picture of the normal fluctuations in BP levels associated with daily activities and sleep. In addition, end-organ damage associated with hypertension is more closely related to ambulatory BP than office BP measurements and ambulatory BP profile give better prediction of clinical outcome than conventional BP measurements.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Blood Pressure
  • Blood Pressure Determination / methods*
  • Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / methods*
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / diagnosis*
  • Hypertension / physiopathology
  • Hypertension / therapy
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sleep / physiology
  • Time Factors
  • White Coat Hypertension / diagnosis