I'm concerned about my blood pressure. Can I check it at home?

"Hypertension can cause serious medical problems, but people with high blood pressure often feel perfectly fine. Without treatment, hypertension can put people at risk for heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease. It's also extremely common, affecting an estimated 31% of adults worldwide. Many patients are walking around with this deadly condition and have no idea until they come in for a primary care appointment."

"Although in-office measurements are recommended to screen for hypertension—that means identifying who's at-risk—actually diagnosing it is another matter. That's because hypertension is defined by repeated high blood pressure readings, not just one. It's normal for your blood pressure to fluctuate throughout the day."

Hypertension, affecting 31% of adults worldwide, is called the silent killer because it causes serious complications like heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease without obvious symptoms. Regular blood pressure screening is essential, with guidelines recommending annual checks for adults over 40. However, diagnosing hypertension is complex because it requires repeated elevated readings rather than a single high measurement. Office readings alone can be misleading due to natural blood pressure fluctuations throughout the day. Home blood pressure monitoring provides valuable data to establish accurate patterns and help distinguish between true hypertension and temporary elevations caused by stress or other factors.

Read at www.npr.org