Why Monitoring Blood Pressure is Especially Important for African Americans

High blood pressure is a condition that affects millions of people in the United States. Some people have it and don’t even know. That’s because there are typically no symptoms for high blood pressure. It is found only by having blood pressure checked. In certain segments of the population, high blood pressure is more prevalent and is often more severe. One group that is hard hit by the condition is African Americans.

Home Health Care in East Quogue NY: Monitoring Blood Pressure

A study published in Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association, examined the prevalence of heart disease caused by high blood pressure in black adults who were not of Hispanic descent. They specifically looked at a disease called left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), which is a thickening of the left pumping chamber that impedes the heart’s ability to pump blood efficiently. Having LVH puts people at higher risk for stroke, heart failure, kidney failure, and dying at an earlier age.

To conduct the study, researchers involved 2,189 adults. The study group included both black and white adults. The participants were 30 to 64 years old. Each of them had their blood pressure checked at a location not in the clinic and also in the clinic. All participants were also tested for LVH.

The results of the study showed that the blood pressure reading taken outside of the clinic was far more accurate at indicating the presence of LVH than the readings taken in the clinic. In fact, outside readings were twice as accurate.

There are two potential reasons for this:

• “White Coat” Hypertension: Some people get nervous in the doctor’s office, which causes their blood pressure to rise.
• Masked Hypertension: Some people have a lower reading in the doctor’s office, which may be because they took their medication right before going to the clinic, something like brushing before going to the dentist.

The American Heart Association states that the results of this study underline the importance of people checking their blood pressure at home. Because black adults are at higher risk for hypertension than white adults are, home monitoring is even more crucial for them.

If your older family member has risk factors for high blood pressure or heart disease, a senior care provider can help them to monitor blood pressure at home. Senior care providers can make sure they sit properly and put the cuff on correctly. Senior care providers can also write down the results in a blood pressure log the older adult can take with them to their next doctor’s appointment.

If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring a Home Health Care in East Quogue, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.

Sources
Heart.org
Webmd.com