Long-term blood pressure measurement works in principle like measurement at the doctor’s practice. The patient wears a cuff on the upper arm which is connected to a small device with a tube. In contrast to a one-time measurement, the patient wears the cuff for 24 hours. It inflates every 15 minutes – every 30 at night – and measures the blood pressure. The daily blood pressure profile is read out and evaluated at the doctor’s practice.
Long-term blood pressure measurement offers the following advantages, among others:
- Detection of high blood pressure and altered day-night rhythm
- Monitoring of the success of medicinal therapy
- Ruling out of “white coat hypertension”, when non-representative values are measured due to the stress of a clinical visit
- Clarification of increases in blood pressure due to certain events