Home blood pressure monitoring is a useful measurement for patients with hypertension: a long-term follow-up study

Objective: To evaluate the long-term effects of Home Blood Pressure (HBP) monitoring, in order to make an efficacy control on hypertensive patients. Methods: In a prospective, double-blind, randomized study, we enrolled 1183 hypertensive patients registered in the hypertension management center of the community between July 2011 and December 2015. The patients were randomly divided into the control group (n=596) and the self-observation group (587). HBP monitoring was performed each day for 5 years in the self-observation group. Blood Pressure (BP) was performed in the hypertension management center of the community each week for 5 years in the control group. BP data were collected by community, and physicians would adjust the therapeutic regimen according to the data during the follow-up period. Results: 533 subjects in the self-observation group and 499 subjects in the control group completed the entire follow-up. The systolic pressure of patients in the self-observation group decreased by (4.3 +/- 3.2) mmHg (P<0.05), the diastolic pressure decreased by (3.5 +/- 2.5) mmHg (P<0.05). The systolic pressure of patients in the control group decreased by (3.9 +/- 3.1) mmHg (P<0.05), the diastolic pressure decreased by (3.0 +/- 2.5) mmHg (P<0.05). Conclusions: HBP monitoring could be an effective method to improve hypertension control; it could be incorporated into the usual care of hypertensive patients in the hypertension management center of the community.