The Brazilian Society of Cardiology will launch at the 1st Meeting of Cardiology Departments, which takes place between the 12th and 13th of April, at the Frei Caneca Convention Center, in São Paulo, the Brazilian Guidelines for Blood Pressure Measurements Inside and Outside the Office . The document was prepared by 67 professionals who are among the country’s leading experts and details how to measure blood pressure correctly and how to obtain an accurate diagnosis.
According to the new Brazilian Guidelines for Blood Pressure Measurements Inside and Outside the Office, the definitive diagnosis of Arterial Hypertension should not only consider the results obtained from measurements carried out in offices.
“Guiding doctors and patients to increase the effectiveness of methods for assessing blood pressure also outside of offices is a fundamental agenda for an effective population approach to this important cardiovascular risk factor in Brazil and the world”, states the coordinator of these Guidelines, the cardiologist Audes Feitosa.
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Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) and Home Blood Pressure Monitoring (MRPA) and Blood Pressure Self-Measurement (AMPA) are the main methodologies for monitoring Blood Pressure outside the doctor’s office.
The use of these techniques and equipment helps in the elaboration of a more complex and assertive diagnosis, detecting common variations such as white coat hypertension (BAH), masked hypertension (MH), changes in blood pressure during sleep and resistant arterial hypertension (RH), undetected conditions with monitoring restricted to clinics.
“Access to this equipment and trained professionals in health services is necessary and deserves a careful look in the formulation of health policies. These New Guidelines offer a highly qualified technical and scientific basis to guide managers, doctors and other health professionals”, assesses Feitosa.
Blood pressure values considered abnormal in Casual measurements (office), by ABPM (24 hours awake and during sleep) and HBPM to define diagnoses
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SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure;
At the Office
Measuring blood pressure is a mandatory procedure in any medical care or carried out by different health professionals.
The New Guidelines demonstrate that the use of inappropriate techniques and/or equipment can lead to incorrect diagnoses, either underestimating or overestimating values and leading to inappropriate conduct and great damage to the health and economy of people and health systems.
Hypertension is considered if SBP ≥ 140 mmHg or DBP 90 mmHg, and should be classified into stages 1, 2 and 3.
Classification of blood pressure according to measurement in the office from 18 years of age onwards
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