SEARCH
= Paid-up subscribersCardiovascular medicine: ABPM is best for diagnosing hypertension in primary care
20 Oct 2011
The diagnosis of hypertension has traditionally been based on clinic blood pressure (BP) but home and ambulatory measurements are better correlated with cardiovascular outcomes. A recent systematic review and cost-effectiveness study found that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is more accurate than both clinic and home monitoring in diagnosing hypertension. A diagnostic strategy for hypertension using ABPM, following an initial raised clinic reading, would reduce misdiagnosis and be cost saving for the NHS. This has prompted NICE to update its guidance. 'Currently only about one in every twenty diagnoses is made with an ABPM machine, and these are largely confined to larger GP practices and specialist units. The availability of machines is very limited at present, which could lead to long delays for patients if the guidelines were implemented immediately. Equally critically, any ambulatory machine used should be validated by an appropriate protocol to ensure its accuracy.'
This article can only be accessed if you are a registered user of thepractitioner.co.uk or a subscriber to The Practitioner.