AMBULATORY BLOOD-PRESSURE MONITORING IN GENERAL-PRACTICE - A REPORT OF EXPERIENCE

Ambulatory 24-h blood pressure measurement (abpm) is a method for diagnosing hypertension and evaluation of antihypertensive therapy which is not yet often used in general practice. Six of 11 untreated patients with elevated office blood pressures were found to have normal blood pressures in abpm. In 39 treated patients abpm was performed for evaluation of therapy. In 21 of these patients drug treatment was revised after abpm. Thus, office pressure measurement is an unreliable parameter of real blood pressure in the individual patient; the most cited reason being the so-called white-coat hypertension. A special advantage of abpm is ability of blood pressure measurement during daily life activities and during sleep. abpm can be helpful in detecting patients with white-coat hypertension, and it allows the possibility of an effective treatment throughout the day. Because hypertension is usually diagnosed and treated by general practitioners, abpm is a useful and necessary technique even in general practice.