ADVICE ON USING HOME BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORS |How to get the most for your money
High blood pressure affects roughly 72 million Americans, raising their risk of heart attack, stroke and death. Doctors think that checking it a few times a year is not enough, so they are recommending that anyone with the condition get a home monitor and do regular pressure checks.
The advice:
Buy an automated monitor with an upper-arm cuff, not a wrist or finger device. They cost $50 to $100 on the Internet and at pharmacies. Have a health professional show you how to use it.
Take two or three readings at a time, one minute apart, while sitting. The arm should be supported, with the upper arm at heart level, and feet on the floor (back supported, legs uncrossed). Readings should be taken at the same time each day, such as morning and evening, for a week.
Bring the device to your next doctor visit and have its measurements compared to the doctor’s equipment to make sure your machine isn’t off.
Check the British Hypertension Society Web site to find a device, www.bhsoc.org/blood—pressure—list.stm.
Associated Press