Does the antihypertensive goal require 24 hours of normal blood pressure to be successful? Many people with high blood pressure are very concerned about this problem, which is also a problem that they need to face in their daily lives. Many patients believe that daily blood pressure is normal, but there is intermittent increase or fluctuation, is this antihypertensive effect ideal? Today, Dr. Zhang came to give these friends a specific explanation.
People with high blood pressure can lower their blood pressure by improving their lifestyle and taking antihypertensive drugs, but for patients, they expect a more sustained and stable reduction in the effect, rather than the occasional normal blood pressure. However, from the perspective of a doctor with clinical experience, it is not realistic for hypertensive patients to reduce their blood pressure to a standard state, and perfect blood pressure for 24 hours is a very unrealistic situation. So, how to assess a steady decrease in blood pressure during the 24-hour period? At this time, patients with hypertension need to do a blood pressure test called 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
The advantage of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is that it can more accurately assess the real blood pressure of a person in their daily life, which is a strong basis for doctors to rule out white coat hypertension. Of course, it can also accurately measure the true level of blood pressure throughout the day, such as real blood pressure in early morning and night sleep, and it is easier to detect hidden hypertension that is difficult to catch; Compared with the blood pressure measured in the clinic, the ambulatory blood pressure data predicts cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases more accurately and comprehensively.
But even with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, we don't think it's normal to have normal blood pressure every time. Typically, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is defined as a 24-hour mean systolic/diastolic ≥ 130/80 mmHg, or a daytime ≥ 135/85 mmHg, or a nighttime ≥ in the range of 120/70 mmHg. If the patient is taking antihypertensive drugs for treatment, but the blood pressure level still exceeds the above standard range, it proves that the blood pressure has not been effectively controlled, and then the antihypertensive drugs can be adjusted under the guidance of a professional doctor.
In fact, for patients with hypertension, blood pressure may not always be normal after taking antihypertensive drugs, even if there are occasional fluctuations, but as long as most of the time is a normal level, it is acceptable. The 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a good test for patients who want to pay attention to blood pressure control.
I hope that Dr. Zhang's answer will be helpful to you, and if you feel good, you can forward it to a good friend around you.