Role of home blood pressure monitoring in resistant hypertension

Abstract

The definition of resistant hypertension (RHT) has been updated to include failure to achieve target blood pressure (BP) despite treatment with ≥3 antihypertensive drugs, including diuretics, renin-angiotensin system blockers, and calcium channel blockers, prescribed at the maximum or maximally tolerated doses, or as success in achieving the target blood pressure but requiring ≥4 drugs. RHT is a major clinical problem, as it is associated with higher mortality and morbidity than non-RHT. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately identify RHT patients to effectively manage their disease. Out-of-clinic BP measurement, including home BP monitoring and ambulatory BP monitoring is gaining prominence for the diagnosis and management of RHT. Home BP monitoring is advantageous as it is feasibly repetitive, inexpensive, widely available, and because of its reproducibility over long periods. In addition, home BP monitoring has crucial advantage of allowing safe titration for the maximum or maximally tolerable dose, and for self-monitoring, thereby improving clinical inertia and nonadherence, and allowing true RHT to be more accurately identified.