Did you know that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a stronger predictor of mortality than clinic-based blood pressure monitoring?
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recommended using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for diagnosing hypertension. By the way, USPSTF is a team of national experts in disease prevention and evidence-based medicine in the US.
In recent studies, it has been found that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is more accurate than office blood pressure monitoring in diagnosing cardiovascular diseases.
In this article, I will discuss ambulatory BP monitoring, its use, how it is performed, the pros, cons, and much more.
What is Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM Test)?
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a modern way to test the blood pressure of an individual wherein the blood pressure is measured continuously for 24 hours in general.
It means your blood pressure is being measured while you are on the move, living your normal daily life, even while you are sleeping, amazing, isn’t it?
The blood pressure is monitored through a small blood pressure machine that is attached with a belt around your body and connected with the cuff on your upper arm. The BP machine takes many readings at regular intervals within the 24 hours period.
Use of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
Do you know that blood pressure fluctuates a lot throughout the whole day? For some people, it may decrease by up to 20% during sleep and for others, it may not drop at all but rather rise during sleep.
These blood pressure fluctuations go unnoticed when you visit a doctor’s clinic, but can be easily detected with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring helps in determining the type of hypertension patient is suffering from which helps in ensuring better options for treatment.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) can be used to detect several types of hypertension including:
White Coat Hypertension
Some people might experience an increase in their blood pressure levels when measured at the hospital, doctor’s office, or clinic and have normal blood pressure at home. This condition is known as White Coat Hypertension.
ABPM can help detect white coat hypertension. If a patient suffers from white coat hypertension, he/she doesn’t have to take any antihypertensive drugs, so ABPM can save a person from taking unnecessary drugs.
White coat hypertension (WCH) may be seen in up to 15%-30% of patients having high BP readings.
Masked Hypertension
Masked hypertension is exactly the opposite of white coat hypertension, Under this, people experience elevated ABPM readings at home and normal BP at the clinic.
It may be seen in up to 10%-20% of patients having high BP readings.
Masked hypertension is more common in diabetic patients. It should be identified and treated adequately to control blood pressure.
Nocturnal Hypertension
Generally, our blood pressure falls by more than 10% during night time which is also known as Nocturnal Dipping. But in some people, BP doesn’t fall much, rather it elevates on some occasions, known as Nocturnal Nondipping or in simple terms, Nocturnal Hypertension.
Nocturnal Nondipping is common in diabetic patients. ABPM helps in diagnosing nocturnal non-dipping effect.
Sustained Hypertension
Sustained hypertension is a condition wherein the blood pressure readings are elevated irrespective of the patient’s location, be it in the doctor’s office or at home. Sustained hypertension is linked to heart and kidney damage.
Other Uses of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
Apart from the uses listed above, ambulatory BP monitoring is used in various ways such as:
What happens During 24-hour ABPM?
When a person undergoes 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, he/she has to wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor which is small enough that you can easily wear it on a belt on your waist. The cuff remains on your upper arm for the whole 24 hours.
The ABP monitor records blood pressure at regular intervals throughout the day and night. The monitor inflates the cuff around your upper arm and then releases the pressure slowly after recording BP reading.
During the night, you can keep the ambulatory blood pressure monitor under the pillow or on the bed while you sleep. You can do all your activities normally apart from swimming or taking a shower.
The ABP monitor will store all the BP readings recorded throughout the 24 hours period which will then be analyzed by your doctor.
What to do During 24 hour Blood Pressure Monitoring?
Just before measuring the blood pressure, the machine will give a beep sound. Whenever you hear the beep sound, you are advised to:
Generally, your doctor will also advise you to always keep a diary with you where you can note down some of the key details such as your sleeping time, waking time, at what time you took your medications, what were you doing before the reading was taken, etc.
If you feel uncomfortable, stressed, or distracted or any other issue when the machine takes your reading, you can inform and consult your doctor as it may affect your reading.
Precautionary Steps to Follow During ABPM to Get Accurate BP Data
Know everything about blood pressure monitoring at home here.
How Many Ambulatory BP Measurements Should You Take in a Day?
According to the guidelines issued by the European Society of Hypertension (ESH), it is recommended to take 14 measurements during the day and 7 measurements during the night.
So in total, there would be 21 measurements in the 24 hour period.
The measuring time should be:
Day Time: 9 AM to 9 PM
Night Time: 1 AM to 6 AM
This is because from 9 PM to 1 AM (known as retiring time) and 6 AM to 9 AM (known as rising time), blood pressure is subject to considerable variation. It helps in eliminating the variations to some extent.
ABPM Thresholds For Hypertension Diagnosis
On average, the blood pressure values in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is lower than clinic blood pressure measurements.
You should be worried if your:
- 24 Hour Average BP is higher than 130/80 mmHg
- Day Time Average BP is higher than 135/85 mmHg
- Night Time Average BP is higher than 120/70 mmHg
If any condition mentioned above is valid in your case, you may be suffering from hypertension.
Ambulatory BP measurements VS Office-based BP Measurements
Nowadays doctors are moving towards ambulatory BP measurement over office-based BP measurement, as there are many advantages of ABPM over office-based BPM.
Pros of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
Some of the advantages of ABPM are:
Cons of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
You may face some problems while undergoing ambulatory BP monitoring such as:
FAQs
Q1) What is Normal Ambulatory Blood Pressure?
Q2) Is ABPM costly?
Q3) I am a diabetic patient, should I go for ABPM?
So as hypertension is more dangerous for diabetics, it becomes important to perform ABPM.
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