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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.