Long-term Blood Pressure Monitoring

In a long-term blood pressure monitoring, a long-term blood pressure device is attached to the patient, which is worn continuously on the body for about 16 to 24 hours. An automatic blood pressure measurement is performed at intervals of 15 (or 30) minutes. Often, the measurement interval is chosen to be longer at night.

The doctor refers to this as ABPM, which stands for "ambulatory blood pressure monitoring".

long-term blood pressure monitoring, ABPM and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring

Long-term blood pressure monitoring is an important diagnostic tool for detecting and monitoring hypertension, as it records the course of the blood pressure during the device's wear time. This is particularly important to observe the blood pressure drop at night. In healthy individuals, blood pressure decreases at night. The absence of this drop is more dangerous than a single high blood pressure measurement.

Long-term blood pressure monitoring is a method of examination that can be performed without any problems. However, it may disturb the sleep of some individuals. In such cases, sleep should be monitored if necessary to detect a lack of nighttime drop due to insufficient sleep.

Evaluations of blood pressure data collected from self-measurements can support the assessment.

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This article is from BloodPressureDB the leading app since 2011 that supports hundreds of thousands in blood pressure monitoring every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 12/2023).

Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has been leading the editorial team of BloodPressureDB since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably verified information.

We hope you found the article on the topic helpful. Correct measurement is very important for good blood pressure management. Our app BloodPressureDB helps with that. Concrete explanations guide you through a guideline-compliant measurement. The app also reminds you if you wish. These features are also fully available in the free version. Get the free app now.

Long-term Blood Pressure Monitoring

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