Significance of ambulatory and home blood pressure monitoring in hypertension management: An Indian perspective

Abstract

It is estimated that in India, one in four individuals have hypertension. However, only about 12% of these individuals achieve adequate blood pressure (BP) control. Uncontrolled BP is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction and stroke. Along with an appropriate management plan, regular BP monitoring is the key. Traditional methods of monitoring BP in the clinical setting may not adequately reflect an individual’s BP outside of that setting, and higher BP in a non-clinical setting is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) and home BP monitoring (HBPM) are both recognized methods for measuring BP outside of the clinic. ABPM and HBPM have been recognized by several guidelines and are an effective adjunct to office-based monitoring to measure white-coat and masked hypertension. This review includes the perspectives of Indian specialists and discusses the merits and limits of the ABPM and HBPM in an Indian context.