"6 out of 10 Hypertension Patients Do Not Measure Blood Pressure at Home"

Korean Society of Hypertension Home Blood Pressure Forum
Announcement of Home Blood Pressure Measurement Awareness Survey
"Proper Measurement is Essential for Management"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] A survey revealed that 6 out of 10 hypertension patients do not measure their blood pressure at home. Experts emphasize that for effective hypertension management, 'home blood pressure' measurement should be conducted correctly.

The Home Blood Pressure Forum of the Korean Society of Hypertension announced the results of a survey on awareness of home blood pressure measurement conducted on 1,000 hypertension patients aged 30 and above nationwide on the 30th.

The number of hypertension patients, which was about 11 million in 2016, increased to 12.6 million last year. Hypertension has no symptoms in the early stages but causes complications in various organs over time, so home blood pressure management, where patients measure their blood pressure themselves according to management guidelines, is important.

In this survey, 65.5% of hypertension patients were aware of home blood pressure. The percentage of patients who actually measured their blood pressure was 35.5%, which is about 4 percentage points higher compared to the survey five years ago (31.4%). However, 64.5% still did not measure their home blood pressure.

Among patients who practice home blood pressure measurement, 82.0% said that measuring home blood pressure helps in hypertension treatment. The reasons included ▲being able to monitor blood pressure changes (81.4%) ▲helping to set blood pressure control goals (47.4%) ▲confirming the effectiveness of medication (37.5%), among others.

On the other hand, reasons for not measuring home blood pressure included ▲not having a home blood pressure monitor (47.8%) ▲believing that measuring at the hospital during visits is sufficient (19.5%) ▲finding it cumbersome and bothersome (13.8%).

Home blood pressure is useful for managing hypertension and helps improve patients’ medication adherence, treatment engagement, and blood pressure control rates, so it is important to accurately understand and practice the measurement method.

Kim Cheol-ho, president of the Home Blood Pressure Forum of the Korean Society of Hypertension and professor at the Geriatric Medical Center of Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, said, "Home blood pressure measurement has high reproducibility and allows monitoring blood pressure at the same time of day. It is very important because it serves as a criterion for diagnosing white coat hypertension and masked hypertension, which cannot be easily diagnosed by office blood pressure alone." He added, "The society will continue efforts not only to raise awareness of home blood pressure in Korea but also to promote correct home blood pressure measurement methods for effective hypertension management."