About us

The story of BloodPressureDB

Horst Klier's experience with high blood pressure began in 2002 in his early 30s, when elevated blood pressure was detected during a hospital stay. As an office worker the programmer had little muscle, was overweight and was advised by his doctor to exercise and lose weight. This was meant to help him get his blood pressure under control –  at first without much success. That trigger laid the foundation for the later development of his app "BloodPressureDB", which makes documenting and analyzing daily blood pressure measurements quick and easy – and independent of the blood pressure monitor or operating system.

From the Excel spreadsheet to the blood pressure app

Bringing his blood pressure back to normal was Horst Klier's goal, first through changes in exercise and eating habits, later with medication. Regardless of the type of treatment, regularly taking measurements and documenting them is essential. As a working person, Horst found it very cumbersome to email his three to four daily home readings from the office to his computer and then transfer them into an Excel spreadsheet in the evenings. So in 2009 he set up the website www.bloodpressuredb.com to enter his readings there. Because the site was public, he gradually received more and more requests from people who wanted to use this option as well. From March 2011 the web solution was then available to other users and shortly after that the app version followed.

BloodPressureDB matures

The app and website have been and remain free to use. Enthusiastic users increasingly asked how they could support the work and donated voluntarily. To give something back, Horst Klier created the premium membership, which offers some additional features compared to the free version. The income funds operation and further development. By now there is a small team of developers, editors and, of course, support staff who look after BloodPressureDB.

In 2020 klier.net GmbH & Co. KG was founded with the goal of having the app included in the DiGA directory. That would have made the app reimbursable by the statutory health insurers. We also began the process of getting approval as a medical device. From 2021 to 2023 BloodPressureDB was a medical device. That allowed us to directly support treatment for high blood pressure. The app enabled guideline-based recording of blood pressure measurements and transmission to the doctor.

After four years of intensive efforts with a team of consultants and a research institute at our side, we decided in December 2023 to stop down this path. The core of the app the blood pressure recording and thus control over one's blood pressure would never be accepted by the BfArM as a DiGA, and some requirements would have forced us to produce a worse product. At the same time, a change in the law (MDR - Medical Device Regulation) forbids us from making major changes to the app. That would mean a new, extensive and costly certification. We gave up the medical device approval. klier.net GmbH & Co. KG was closed at the end of 2024.

Since 2024 we have therefore put the patient back at the center. The corresponding version is operated by klier.net International S.L.

Why we do this

If you have your blood pressure under control, you live longer and with a better quality of life. Measurements can be done easily at home with inexpensive devices. With our app these measurements are recorded and prepared so that the treating doctor has a better basis for therapy. That improves the health of our users.

Our commitment

Our service supports patients in their treatment. With BloodPressureDB, home measurements can be taken easily according to the guidelines.
Additionally, we increase health literacy with a range of offerings. Our Infothek explains the basics and medical terms. With the Infomail we have created a kind of blood pressure course via weekly email. This lets our customers build up their knowledge step by step. That enables conversations with the doctor on equal terms.
This is how we help preserve heart health.
All medical information is medically reviewed.


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