The Daily Bulletin Archive

May is blood pressure awareness month. Weigel Health Center will offer two ambulatory blood pressure monitors to interested faculty and staff members this month.

Why do you need to be aware? Almost 75 million people in the United States have high blood pressure, or hypertension, and 90 percent of adults ages 45–64 will develop hypertension. Nearly one in five has high blood pressure and is unaware. Hypertension increases the risk for heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, and stroke, the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Take an active role in your health and get your blood pressure checked regularly. Know your numbers!

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a technique used to estimate true blood pressure using a monitor that is worn for 24 hours. The monitor can be worn on a belt or in a pouch, but you will have a blood pressure cuff on your nondominant arm for a full 24 hours. The monitor is programmed to take readings every 20 minutes while you are awake and every 60 minutes while you are asleep. At the end of testing, the results are downloaded into a computer and printed for you. We will not be responsible for treatment or follow-through on your results but ask that you follow up with your personal doctor accordingly. In addition, we will not use the results of any tests performed for any purpose. The readings are highly accurate, within 5 mmHg of readings taken with a manual blood pressure cuff.

It is important to know that, while wearing the cuff, your arm must remain relatively still while the cuff is inflating, and you are unable to shower with the monitor. You should not exercise while wearing the monitor. Please wear loose fitting clothing the day of your appointment. The cuff will be placed on your nondominant arm.

Anyone who is interested in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring should call Julie Nichols, nurse practitioner in the Weigel Health Center, at ext. 6711. We look forward to seeing you and answering any questions you may have.