Self-Management of Hypertension Outperforms Usual Care

As many as half of patients who receive treatment for hypertension still have uncontrolled high blood pressure (BP). Patient self-monitoring and self-titration of treatment are effective in anticoagulation control and management of diabetes and asthma but have not been well studied for hypertension management.

British investigators randomized 480 adults with uncontrolled hypertension (BP >140/90 mm Hg, despite treatment with one or two antihypertensive medications) to self-management or usual care. Patients in the self-management group measured their BPs with automated sphygmomanometers twice each morning for 1 week during each month; patients whose average BP was above target level (130/85 mm Hg, or 130/75 mm Hg for people with diabetes) fo…