RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Screening your blood pressure at home produces truer results when compared to doctor's office screenings, where anxiety can cause a temporary spike in blood pressure readings, according to a new Finnish study published in the journal Hypertension. "The home blood pressure measurement is not necessarily measured more accurately, but a home blood pressure measurement may more accurately reflect the true blood pressure of an individual," explains hypertension expert Bonita Falkner, MD, professor of medicine and pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. "Seeing a doctor in a clinic makes some people anxious."

THE DETAILS: Finnish researchers analyzed data from more than 2,000 participants between the ages of 45 and 74. At the start of the study, blood pressure was measured at home and in a doctor's office. During the course of the nearly seven-year study, 118 people died, and 162 experienced a cardiovascular event, including a cardiovascular-related death, nonfatal heart attack or stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, or coronary bypass surgery. The researchers found that home-read blood pressure predicted cardiovascular events, but office-measured BP did not. They also found that the top number of a home BP reading, the systolic number, was predictive of death.

WHAT IT MEANS: The study gives new value to home blood pressure monitoring. The American Heart Association cites other research that shows monitoring your BP at home can be helpful in addition to regular monitoring at your doctor's office. If your numbers are off consistently (pre-hypertension is diagnosed when your systolic number is between 120 and 139 or your bottom number, or diastolic reading, is between 80 and 89; anything above that range is considered hypertension), you can start eating and drinking to prevent high blood pressure, cut excess salt out of your diet, and exercise more. If lifestyle changes still don't lower your BP to healthy levels, you may need to talk to your doctor about medication. And home BP readings are important for everyone. A recent study at the American Society of Hypertension's annual meeting found one-in-three seemingly healthy adults were living unknowingly with pre-hypertension.