Nigerians have been told that when their blood pressure regularly and precisely measures, and by handling it through medicines and changes in lifestyle when high levels are detected, they can carry long and healthy lives free of hypertension complications, such as stroke.
Speaking about the world of world day of world hypertension of this year 2025, “measure your blood pressure with precision, control it, lives longer”, Dr. Oladipo Fasan, the general secretary of the Nigeria hypertension society (NHS), declared that the measurement of blood pressure (BP) requires using the correct technique and the equipment is essential to take appropriate actions when the high blood pressure is detected.
Dr. Fasan, who is also the coordinator of the MAY measurement of May of Nigeria, declared that high blood pressure is mainly asymptomatic, which means that individuals can have it without being aware.
He said that blood pressure control is one of the most common medical exams made in hospitals; However, it is a tense with a high level of errors.
According to him, obtaining a precise reading of blood pressure requires a minimum of 30 minutes of rest, avoiding stimulants such as coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarettes, and sitting with the back, both flat feet on the floor and the arm resting on a table at the heart level.
Dr. Fasan added that the sleeve used for measurements must have an adequate size for each individual, pointing out that a thin person, a person of moderate size and a large person could not be able to use the same sleeve.
He said there may be variations in the blood pressure of a person between his two arms, and the arm with the highest reading should be selected for subsequent measurements of blood pressure.
“When and wherever I go, you should inform you that this arm has a higher value. Therefore, it should be used later to verify your blood pressure,” he added.
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Dr. Fasan explained that some people may experience variable readings of blood pressure due to a phenomenon known as the “white layer syndrome”, when blood pressure readings remain high while the patient is in a hospital environment.
He added that the blood pressure of some people can fluctuate depending on their environment, including stress related to work, home life and consumption of stimulants, alcohol and smoking, which can cause high blood pressure at home while remaining normal in a hospital environment.
“Blood pressure rises outside a hospital, home or office, is known as masked hypertension. This understanding has led us to put more emphasis on home readings compared to hospital readings. We call it readings outside the hospital.
“Everyone should have access to their own standardized blood pressure monitor in the home. While the monitoring of the blood pressure of the home is not the only method, it is an effective way to detect hypertension. In addition, it tends to correlate more closely with the real blood pressure of an individual.
“Studies have shown that home readings reflect more the true blood pressure of a person. Therefore, we now emphasize the importance of readings outside the hospital and educate people on how to measure their blood pressure with precision,” he said.
However, the expert said that if people monitor their blood pressure, they take their medications as prescribed and receive monitoring care of their doctor, they can lead a healthy and satisfactory life despite having hypertension.
“Once you take your medication regularly, the probability is that everything else is the same, you should not have a stroke, heart failure, renal failure or a heart attack. Consequently, you will live longer.
“The only way to detect it is that people accurately monitor their blood pressure in the comfort of their own homes. However, if any reading indicates that it is above normal, the most frequent monitoring must be done as advised by the doctor.
“As members of the Nigerian hypertension society, it is our responsibility to educate the public and collaborate with political leaders and other NGOs to raise awareness and establish a framework focused on prevention, early detection and hypertension management among Nigerians.”