2/6/2008 8:00:00 AM
Relatively unknown to most consumers, morning hypertension - the name given to high blood pressure in the morning - is a serious condition known to significantly increase a patient?s risk of stroke. Only detected through regular home blood pressure monitoring, patients can start to take control of their health by taking an average of their morning blood pressure readings and immediately alerting their doctor to any significant irregularities.
"Although doctors can provide a blood pressure reading in their office, this is just a one-time, isolated measurement -and it may not always show a complete picture of the patient's condition because they may be nervous (known as 'white coat hypertension'), or overly comfortable and trusting (known as 'masked hypertension'),"said Dr. Annabelle Volgman, associate professor of medicine at Rush Medical College. "Therefore, regular blood pressure monitoring at home is critical for adults to control their blood pressure - and it's the only viable way to detect morning hypertension."
Omron Healthcare is the only company with a broad range of blood pressure monitors designed specifically to help identify this potentially deadly condition. The HEM-780 (upper arm model), HEM-790IT (upper arm with PC downloading capability) and HEM-670IT (wrist monitor with PC downloading) each come equipped with a morning blood pressure detector that automatically takes an average of morning readings and displays the morning hypertension symbol if the user's weekly average exceeds the upper limit of normal as defined by the American Heart Association guidelines.* The upper-arm devices feature a pre-formed Comfit Cuff(TM) that fits both regular and large arms for accurate and comfortable readings, and all models have an irregular heartbeat detector.
"The development of products to identify morning hypertension underscores Omron Healthcare's dedication to empowering people to detect and prevent illnesses and conditions before it's too late to notify a physician," said Isao Ogino, Chief Executive Officer, Omron Healthcare." Our aim is to help both doctors and patients by providing an at-home solution to help detect not only hypertension, but now morning hypertension as well."
The HEM-780, HEM-790IT and HEM-670IT blood pressure monitors are available at pharmacies nationwide. For more information on morning hypertension, please visit www.bpnumbers.com.
*The American Heart Association identifies an upper limit of normal blood pressure reading as 135 mmHg systolic and 85 mmHg diastolic. The morning hypertension symbol is displayed on Omron Healthcare's devices if a user's average first morning reading for a week is above 135 for the systolic value and/or 85 for the diastolic value.