USPSTF Recommends Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
A new guideline from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for hypertension in adults over 18 years old, and the use of ambulatory blood pressure readings for diagnostic confirmation before the start of treatment.
The new guideline comes as an update to the 2007 USPSTF reaffirmation recommendation statement on screening for high blood pressure in adults.
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After reviewing current evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of methods for confirming hypertension after initial screen, the USPSTF issued the following recommendations:
- “The USPSTF recommends screening for high blood pressure in adults aged 18 years or older. (A recommendation).”
- “The USPSTF recommends obtaining measurements outside of the clinical setting for diagnostic confirmation before starting treatment.”
“Although the criteria for establishing hypertension varied across studies, there was significant discordance between the office diagnosis of hypertension and 12- and 24-hour average blood pressures using ambulatory blood pressure, with significantly fewer patients requiring treatment based on ambulatory blood pressure,” they wrote.
“The USPSTF concludes with high certainty that the net benefit of screening for high blood pressure in adults is substantial.”
—Michael Potts
Reference:
Siu AL. Screening for high blood pressure in adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 13 October 2015 [epub ahead of print]. doi:10.7326/M15-2223.