How Europe’s media covered Brexit

A new prediction tool for managing patients with suspected high blood pressure in primary care could reduce by half the number of people needing to wear 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitors to confirm a diagnosis of hypertension. High blood pressure - also known as hypertension - affects more than one in four adults in England. While often preventable, it is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and is the biggest risk factor for death and disability internationally. A study led by Oxford and Birmingham University researchers, published in the BMJ , shows how applying a simple computer algorithm can correctly classify patients with hypertension in 97% of cases. Blood pressure levels can fluctuate throughout the day and can easily change as a result of stress, physical activity or even talking, so clinic-based readings are not always representative of an individual's true blood pressure. To get a true reading, 24-hour ambulatory monitoring is the gold standard for diagnosing hypertension and is currently recommended for all patients with raised blood pressure readings in the clinic. This involves wearing a monitor throughout the day and night, with readings taken automatically every 15-20 minutes, which can be uncomfortable for some people.