This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Thompson Barr about hypertension and the benefits of monitoring blood pressure at home. Dr. Barr is an Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine and an internist and primary care physician at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. It's estimated that one in every three adults in South Carolina has been diagnosed with hypertension or high blood pressure. Doctor Thompson Barr is here to talk about the importance of monitoring your own blood pressure at home. Doctor Barr is an Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine and he's an internist and primary care physician at MUSC. Doctor Barr, first tell us why it's so important to diagnose and treat hypertension or high blood pressure.
Dr. Barr: High blood pressure, or hypertension is one of our main risk factors for lots of things, including heart attacks, strokes, renal disease, that's just to name a few. The thing that makes hypertension really important to diagnose and treat is that by treating the high blood pressure, you can decrease your risk of a lot of these complications, extend not only your life, but extend your ability to live without things like heart attacks or strokes.
Conner: And how is hypertension typically diagnosed?
Dr. Barr: Every time you come to the doctor, you get your blood pressure checked. And that is technically a screening for hypertension. There's some debate as to what number we should use to diagnose hypertension, but it's generally agreed that the number 130 over 80 is an important target. You want to try to stay below that number if possible.
Conner: And how is hypertension treated.
Dr. Barr: The mainstay of treatment for hypertension is diet and exercise. However, if you're above a certain level, particularly above 140 over 90, we also like to use medications in combination because it's so important to get your blood pressure reduced in order to avoid a lot of those complications.
Conner: Tell us about the program at MUSC that you lead where patients are set up and instructed on how to monitor their own blood pressure at home.
Dr. Barr: Part of the telehealth initiatives through our Center of Telehealth is what's called Remote Patient Monitoring. And this is for patients who have been diagnosed with hypertension, that we can send them a blood pressure cuff, and they're able to take their blood pressure at home rather than in the office. And they can send those numbers automatically to their doctor.
Conner: And is this important because you might be adjusting medication? I mean, what are the ramifications for really knowing what's going on with each individual patient who has hypertension?
Dr. Barr: That's exactly right. Knowing the numbers are helpful because we can make changes more quickly than we otherwise would, if a patient was waiting six months or a year to come in to the doctor. The other thing that's important is that we can have a system level view of all of our blood pressures, to be able to understand what sort of patterns we see and ways we can potentially care for all of our patients better.
Conner: Doctor Barr, for someone who wants to start checking their own blood pressure at home, they're not a part of any program, what do they need to get set up, and what are the tips to get an accurate blood pressure reading at home?
Dr. Barr: As a primary care doctor, what I care most about is just making sure that patients are taking their blood pressure, however they're doing it. You can get a blood pressure cuff from many different stores, and there are fairly accurate and affordable options on the market. Several tips are that make sure that you have your feet on the floor, that you have the cuff at heart level, and that you generally take 5 to 10 minutes to sit before taking your blood pressure. Also, avoid things like caffeine or smoking within 30 minutes of taking your blood pressure.
Conner: Doctor Barr, thanks for talking with us about monitoring blood pressure at home.
Dr. Barr: Absolutely. Thanks for having me on.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
