This holiday, how about buying a home blood pressure monitor for someone you love who's being treated for hypertension? About one in every three people has high blood pressure, including about 65 percent of people 60 and older. Consumer Reports rates these medical devices, which you can pick up at most drugstores for $40 to $130. A highly rated device, a Best Buy, was $60, and another Best Buy was just $40. People with hypertension or suspected high blood pressure should routinely monitor themselves, the American Heart Association says, and a home device lets people keep tabs on their numbers. That's important, because when blood pressure is not well controlled, heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems can result. "Checking blood pressure at home is one way of making sure that your treatment is adequate," says Marvin M. Lipman, M.D., Consumer Reports' chief medical adviser.
Our experts say that people with hypertension should check their blood pressure at least twice a week at about the same time of day, and as often as twice a day if there are any problems or if their treatment has changed. (Levels tend to rise steadily throughout the day, usually peaking in the middle of the afternoon.) We also offer advice about how to get the most accurate results. Good Candidates for At-Home Monitoring
Older people, whose blood pressure tends to be more variable. Frequent monitoring will provide an overall picture of their true numbers. People who experience "white-coat hypertension," a spike in blood pressure when they are tested in a doctor's office or hospital. People with diabetes, for whom tight blood pressure control is important.
Tip: To make sure it's being used correctly, bring your home blood pressure monitor to your doctor's office the next time you have an appointment. And check to make sure you get the same reading as your doctor's machine.
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