Coronavirus: blood pressure measurement should be done at home
The number of people infected with the novel Coronavirus, continues to rise. According to experts, there is more than 80 percent of the Infected to gradients mild, but, above all, persons from high-risk groups become ill is often difficult. Even in people with high blood pressure this danger is given. Due to the risk of infection, you should now control your blood pressure values at home.
Hypertension patients should pay attention to in times of Corona, especially the fact that your blood pressure is well. Important in this context is to control the blood pressure regularly. However, the blood pressure measurement should now be home.
Interpersonal contacts limit
As the German high pressure League in a recent communication, writes, makes it the current Situation is necessary, that between human contact to a Minimum are limited. This also applies to the routine blood pressure measurement in the doctor’s office or pharmacy.
In view of the possible risk of infection, the German high pressure League advises to be an effective and simple procedure: the controlled self-measurement, with documentation in the blood pressure diary and Transmission of the data to the Doctor or the doctor.
The high-pressure League provides on their website appropriate validated forms. Even necessary therapy adjustments can then be made without a visit to the doctor. This reduces the risk of infection.
For self-protection and for the protection of others
The Coronavirus SARS-CoV2 is rampant, and the policy has already given the drastic recommendations to stem the pandemic. In particular, older people are at risk of virus infection, who suffer the most often, and high blood pressure (hypertension).
For self-protection, but also for the protection of others, it is therefore important to reduce social contacts to a minimum. This includes – as absurd as it sounds, regular visits to the doctor, for example, to control the blood pressure setting. This can also take place without direct physician contact and the visit to the Practice.
The high-pressure League has developed a special Protocol: patients should not measure a week in the month of blood pressure, but also not less. In the measuring week, both morning and evening should be measured in peace of the blood pressure and the blood pressure diary is registered.
The high-pressure League provides on its website a special documentation sheet. After three months, the values can be transmitted to the doctor or the Doctor or visit to the Practice will be presented.
The doctor checks the progress and reports on the phone or via video consultation, in case a dose adjustment or treatment change is necessary. In principle, the Apps could be used to record the measurement – the important thing is that the measurement accuracy is adhered to the Protocol.
Self-measurement often gives more meaningful values
“This simple and effective method for blood pressure Monitoring has been validated in studies of well-medically and helps in the current Situation, the blood visit pressure control with less Practice, and to reduce the risk of Coronavirus infection,” says Professor Florian Limbourg, Hannover, member of the management Board of the German hypertension League DHL®.
“Also, if the personal doctor-patient-conversation is otherwise important: The Situation requires special measures and we have to ask our patients to limit routine doctor’s contacts to a Minimum.”
In fact, a large part of what is now recommended, but anyway, the medical gold standard for Monitoring blood pressure. The self-measurement plays a Central role, because it is often more meaningful values than the measurement in the doctor’s office.
If the blood pressure is measured in practice, the values are often higher than if the patient or the Patient checked this at home by yourself. This may be due to the nervousness that many people have when visiting the doctor.
This phenomenon is called, in allusion to the white doctor’s coat as a “white coat effect”. It is possible, however, that the practice blood pressure is below the actual values. This effect is also called “masked hypertension”.
Doctor-patient consultation over the phone or via video consultation
Without the regular self-measurement, the high values remain undetected and untreated, which is dangerous. “Therefore, it is important that Affected daily home blood pressure measure, we are asking for this anyway, even without corona crisis, and also for the documentation of the values and submission to the doctor,” explains Professor Markus van der Giet, Charité, Berlin, member of the management Board of the German hypertension League DHL®.
By means of the Corona of a crisis is reduced the quality of blood pressure monitoring in any way. “We have put on our website a simple guide for the correct measurement of blood pressure online. Those who do so, recorded the values correctly“, explains the expert.
The doctor-patient conversation could, then, if a change in treatment seems necessary, by telephone or by video consultation to be done.
“The German family doctors’ Association has already informed all members that the previously existing limitation of the video office hours from the second quarter, is repealed”, Prof. Dr. med. Ulrich Wenzel, Hamburg, Chairman of the Executive Board of the German hypertension League DHL®.
“Routine visits to the doctor can be in the network relocated, and we want to appeal to heed the motto “Best medical Monitoring in the case of avoiding all risks””. (ad)
