How to choose the right blood pressure monitor?
Consider whether you need to buy a blood pressure monitor
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people usually die from cardiovascular diseases [1]. In 2016, as many as 15.2 million people died from ischemic heart disease and stroke, so it is very important to diagnose heart diseases in a timely manner and treat them properly. One of the most important places in the diagnosis of the above diseases is blood pressure. It should be measured regularly as early as possible, preferably from the age of 35-40. Of course, blood pressure should be monitored if you are taking medications that affect heart function or blood formation (for example, if tests have shown that your blood is "thick" and you are taking blood-thinning medications). Sometimes blood pressure should also be checked in younger people - adolescents and children. Blood pressure in adolescents can increase due to an unhealthy lifestyle, fatigue or anxiety [2]. On the other hand, high blood pressure in a child can signal serious health problems [3] (for example, a congenital heart defect). So, if you are over 35 years old, you are taking medications that affect the cardiovascular system, or if you want to check the blood pressure of family members, you need to buy a blood pressure monitor, but how to choose one?
Manufacturer and features
The first thing to look for is the manufacturer and the reliability certificates they provide. Blood is a complex tissue in the body, so only clinically tested devices can accurately measure blood pressure and pulse. We recommend Japanese, Swiss and Singaporean brands such as Omron, Little Doctor, Microlife and Nissei [4,5,6,7]. All of the manufacturers mentioned provide reliability and verification certificates for the devices, so you can be sure of the measurement results.
Second – functions. You should only buy a blood pressure monitor after carefully examining its functions. Of course, the most important functions are measuring systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse. All modern devices measure blood pressure, but there are still older models on the market that do not show the pulse. Pulse is one of the most important diagnostic indicators of cardiovascular diseases. An altered pulse plays a particularly important role in the diagnosis of arrhythmias [8], so buying a blood pressure monitor that does not measure the pulse is irrational and inappropriate. Another fairly important function is detecting irregular heart activity. This function will be useful for everyone, even those who do not have arrhythmia, because people often do not feel heart problems. Nevertheless, irregular heart activity can provoke dangerous conditions (e.g. atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, etc.), so it is very important to detect irregular heart activity as early as possible and start treatment. The above functions will be enough for most people. You can read about the special needs and functions of blood pressure machines for seniors, obese people, or if a child has high blood pressure in our next article: https://aceso.lt/blogs/straipsniai-patarimai/rekomendacijoms-perkantiems-spaudimo-matuokli-senjorui-ar-vaikui
Automatic, semi-automatic or manual?
Everyone should buy a blood pressure monitor according to their needs. An automatic blood pressure monitor is the optimal option for almost everyone. Such a device does everything for you, all you have to do is press a button and wait for the results. Semi-automatic blood pressure monitors are increasingly rare on the Lithuanian market and they differ from automatic ones only in that the air is inflated into the cuff with a balloon, not a compressor. A mechanical blood pressure monitor is suitable for professionals, it measures blood pressure very quickly and very accurately, but the pulse is not displayed, and measuring blood pressure itself requires certain knowledge and skills.
Wrist blood pressure monitor, is it worth choosing it?
Almost all blood pressure monitors sold in Lithuania are upper arm blood pressure monitors, this type of monitor is the most popular, but the wrist blood pressure monitor has one big advantage - compactness. That is why it will suit active and traveling people who want to track their heart activity wherever they are. Many people are convinced that wrist blood pressure monitors are inaccurate, but well-known manufacturers Omron, Microlife and Nissei declare that their accuracy does not differ from the accuracy of upper arm blood pressure monitors. The problem is that a wrist blood pressure monitor will correctly record blood pressure and pulse only if the wrist is kept at heart level. If the wrist is kept on a table, the measurement results will be inaccurate.
So choosing and buying a blood pressure monitor is not difficult, you just need to research the manufacturer, the device's functions, assess whether you have any special needs, and choose the type of monitor before buying.
Sources:
[1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4014636/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30277729
[4] https://omronhealthcare.com/
[7] http://www.nissei-kk.co.jp/english/health/
[8] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/sms.12917
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