The US Preventive Services Task Force has come up with a new recommendation, which states that before starting treatment for hypertension, people should confirm their high blood pressure with home or ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

It has been said so as there are many factors that affect blood pressure readings including stress, physical activity and caffeine and nicotine. In fact, some people could also suffer from white-coat hypertension, in which people’s BP increased at the doctor’s office from stress.

All these factors can make it difficult as whether or not a person has high blood pressure. This is the reason that the Task Force has asked to confirm high blood pressure before starting treatment.

Task Force vice-chair Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo was of the view, “For most patients, elevated blood pressure readings in the doctor's office should be confirmed outside the doctor's office before starting treatment”.

Bibbins-Domingo cleared that the recommendation does not really apply to those who have quite high blood pressure and other health problems like heart or kidney damage. In their case, it becomes vital to lower blood pressure. The recommendation is for those who want to confirm their blood pressure status.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring should be considered as the first choice for confirming a diagnosis of high blood pressure. But when it is not available then home monitors should be considered as an acceptable alternative, said Task Force. Home blood pressure monitoring devices can be availed at the cost from less than $20 to $100 or more.

"For individuals who have very high blood pressure or other health problems, such as heart or kidney damage, that might make it critical to lower blood pressure, this recommendation doesn't really apply to them. This recommendation is really for individuals where one wants to confirm high blood pressure," Bibbins-Domingo said.

"It is well established that systolic blood pressure above 120 mm Hg results in a greater risk of heart disease and stroke," he said. Systolic blood pressure is the top number in a reading.

"New trial results demonstrate that treating systolic blood pressure to achieve a goal of 120 mm Hg lowers the risk of death from any cause, compared with treating to a conventional goal of 140 mm Hg," Fonarow said, adding that the USPSTF's treatment section needs to be updated to reflect this new information.