V - How
to measure high blood pressure?
Principles
5.1 - The
most reliable method: to place a probe measuring the pressure directly
in the artery
5.2 - The most
useful method: The measure of the blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer
with a cuff
Measurement
of the blood pressure
5.3 - At rest
at the doctors
5.4 - At rest at home, using a self-measurement
device
5.5 - During
a physical exercise
5.6 - Measurement
by an ambulatory monitoring of the blood pressure during 24 hours
Description of the device
5.7 - The cuff
5.8 - Method
for the measurement of the blood pressure
5.9 - The sphygmomanometer
5.4 -
At rest at home, using a self-measurement device
This technique is more and more often employed for several reasons:
- It is easy to use because
most of the devices are automatic and reliable. Nevertheless, it
is necessary to use validated devices and to avoid those that use
non automatic methods because they can provide wrong data.
- This technique allows
a hypertensive subject to control his high blood pressure, like a
diabetic patient controls his sugar quantity in the blood at home
using an automatic device. Many studies have showed that the self-measurement
of the blood pressure device can induce the patient to be more aware
of his disease.
We have to be very careful,
because the threshold of the high blood pressure is not the same
one when the blood pressure is measured with this device: the high
blood pressure exists if the blood pressure exceeds 135/85 millimetres
of mercury (13.5/8.5).
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last modified on : 28 sep 2003 |
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