The Daily Bulletin Archive

Weigel Health Center will offer ambulatory blood pressure monitors to interested faculty and staff members during the months of June and July. Nearly one in five people has high blood pressure, or hypertension, but is unaware of it. Almost 75 million people in the United States have high blood pressure, and 90 percent of adults ages 45–64 will develop hypertension. Hypertension increases the risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, and stroke, the third leading cause of death in the United States. 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 over a 24-hour period. The monitor can be worn on a belt or in a pouch, but the blood pressure cuff must be worn on the participant's non-dominant arm for a full 24 hours. The monitor is programmed to take readings every 20 minutes when the wearer is awake and every 60 minutes when the wearer is asleep. While wearing the cuff, participants must keep their arms relatively still each time the cuff is inflating. Participants are also unable to shower or exercise while wearing the monitor. At the end of testing, results are downloaded and printed for the participant. The readings are very reliable, accurate to within 5 mmHg of readings taken with a manual blood pressure cuff.

Weigel Health Center is not responsible for treatment or follow-through on results but asks participants to follow up with their doctors accordingly. Weigel Health will not use the results of any tests performed for any purpose.

If you are interested in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, please call Rita Sumers, registered nurse in the Weigel Health Center, at 878-6711. Please wear loose-fitting clothing the day of your appointment. The cuff will be placed on your nondominant arm.

We look forward to seeing you and answering any questions you may have.