In conjunction with Pharmacy Times and Drug Store News, Omron Healthcare is offering educational material to help pharmacists better educate their patients about morning hypertension.

You may view the PDF documents by clicking on the title below.

	High BP is Still Prevalent (March, 2008) Hypertension still remains a serious public health problem, even though there has been progress in the medical treatment of hypertension and increased publich health awareness to lower its occurence, according to a January 2008 Centers for Disease Control and prevention report.
	A Call to Action for Pharmacists (December 2007) Over the past decade, the pharmacy profession has changed dramatically. More significantly, however, is how the pharmacist within both the community and institutional settings has become a critical interdisciplinary team member.
	Home BP Proves Successful (November 2007) Blood pressure (BP) home monitoring as part of heart failure disease management programs allows patients to check their BP regularly and encourages them to take steps toward improved BP control, according to findings presented recently at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension.
	Diabetic Complications (September 2007) Up to 60 percent of patients with diabetes have hypertension.1 In fact, individuals with diabetes are up to three times more likely to have high blood pressure than those who do not have diabetes.1 A concomitant diagnosis of hypertension places these patients at an increased risk for diabetic complications such as heart disease, renal insufficiency, diabetic retinopathy and possibly neuropathy. Research has demonstrated a possible link between morning hypertension and an increased risk for complications in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
	Understanding The Risk (July 2007) Research using home blood pressure monitoring devices has shown that early morning blood pressure readings within the first hours of awakening may be higher than other casual blood pressure readings throughout the day. This alarming phenomenon, is known as "morning hypertension".
	Home Monitoring Preferred (September 2007) Several presentations at the recent 22nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension echoed the same message. The measurement of blood pressure (BP) during a physician visit is laden with problems. The American Heart Association guidelines call for BP to be measured at least 5 minutes after patients arrive for their visit or while they are sitting down with their arm supported. The guidelines, however, are not usually followed. The findings emphasized the need for patients to monitor their BP at home to determine if they are at risk for morning hypertension.
	BP Monitoring Is Crucial (June 2007) Home BP monitoring is an important part of managing hypertension, according to the Mayo Clinic. The benefits of home monitoring, outlined by the clinic, include the following: (1) Helping to track treatment: Self-monitoring provides key information between physician visits, (2) Encouraging better control: Patients taking their own BP measurements have been shown to experience better BP control and greater success in meeting BP targets and (3) Cutting health care costs: Home monitoring may reduce physician visits and thus lower overall health care costs
	What's Up with Morning BP? (June 2007) The typical circadian variation in blood pressure (BP) for the majority of hypertensive patients follows a nadir occurring during the nighttime hours and a surge occurring during the early morning period when individuals typically arise for the day.
	Unmasking Diurnal Variation (May 2007) Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to recent statistics released by the American Heart Association. Clinicians often struggle to provide early interventions to prevent cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke. These interventions include attaining tight blood pressure control in their patients. However, 50 percent of patients treated for blood pressure continue to suffer from morning or "masked" hypertension. Thus, clinicians may need to dig deeper to achieve optimal control in their patients, especially during early morning hours.
	AM Surge Detection May Help Diabetes (May 2007) Patients with type 2 diabetes who have consistent elevated blood pressure (BP) in the morning are more prone to kidney disease, eye disease, heart disease, and stroke.
	Morning BP Blind Spot Exists (April 2007) In an editorial in the American Journal of Hypertension (February 1, 2005), Kazuomi Kario, MD, PhD, identified 2 forms of morning hypertension, each with different possible effects: (1) Persistent high blood pressure (BP) from nighttime to morning (nocturnal hypertension), means a greater risk for damage to the brain, heart, kidneys, and cardiovascular episodes, (2) The morning BP surge is associated in part with the extreme-dipping status of nocturnal BP, which studies have shown increases the odds of stroke.
	Morning Hypertension (April 2007) With significant links to heart attacks, strokes and diabetic complications, morning hypertension is jumping onto clinicians' radar screens as a potentially deadly condition. Yet despite the risks, more than 50 percent of high blood pressure patients still suffer from uncontrolled morning hypertension.1 This overview is intended to offer proactive clinicians a better understanding of the condition and the crucial role at-home monitoring plays in exposing it and controlling associated risks.

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