It is a gesture systematically carried out by the doctor and by the patients suffering from arterial hypertension: the measurement of the arterial pressure. But is she still well taken?
Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at Doctor’s Daily, reports to us today on the results of a vast study on the conditions for taking blood pressure measurements in nearly 7,000 patients in Germany. Is she still well taken? These works try to answer it.
franceinfo: Explain this study to us?
Martin Ducret: The authors of this work sought to find out under what conditions blood pressure was measured, in nearly 7,000 German patients, 80% of whom presented with arterial hypertension, an often silent disease caused, in the majority of cases, by the aging of the arteries.
Results: only a small half of hypertensive patients had well-controlled blood pressure, the fault of a blood pressure measurement, neglected or unsuitable, particularly when the patients take it themselves at home.
However, the measurement of blood pressure is a simple gesture to perform?
Yes, but only if you do it well. The measurement of blood pressure allows above all to detect arterial hypertension. It is first of all the doctor who performs this gesture known to all. Lying down, calmly, an armband swells around the arm to obtain 2 figures: the high voltage which must be below 140, and the low voltage, below 90.
But beware ! It is not because these figures exceed the limit that one must conclude with hypertension. It is not uncommon for a patient, stressed by the presence of the doctor, to see his tension rise, this is called the “white coat effect”. Hence the need for the patient to take their blood pressure themselves, at home, to prevent the figures from being distorted.
And how to carry out a self-measurement in good conditions?
First and foremost, I advise my patients to buy a good quality blood pressure monitor, which takes the blood pressure in the arm, and not in the wrist. Then, the self-measurements must be done for at least three days in a row, in the morning and in the evening, after at least 5 minutes of rest, in a quiet place. If the average of the figures obtained at home is always high, the diagnosis of hypertension can be retained.
What is the management of arterial hypertension, once the diagnosis has been made?
If it is low, lifestyle changes may suffice. First reduce the salt in food. And of course, eat healthier, moderate alcohol, or practice regular physical activity.
If these changes are not enough, or if the tension is really too high, then the prescription of drugs is necessary. In all cases, regular monitoring of blood pressure, particularly by the patient at home, is essential.