Mobile phone can help better control BP

An interactive web system with the help of your mobile phone can be an effective tool for better blood pressure control, according to a new study.

Test persons lowered their blood pressure and were better able to understand how their lifestyle affects their blood pressure and actively participated in followup discussions. These results were shown in a doctoral thesis at the University of Gothenburg.

Well controlled blood pressure reduces the risk for cardio-vascular complications. In addition to taking daily medication, persons with high blood pressure need to understand the sometime complicated connection between the blood pressure values and daily life. Blood pressure medication combined with changes in lifestyle gives good results, but despite awareness of this, few people are able to reach a well controlled blood pressure.

In her thesis, researcher Ulrika Bengtsson developed and evaluated an interactive system for persons living with high blood pressure that, with the help of their own mobile phone, can be used to self-manage the high blood pressure on a daily basis.

The result showed statistical and clinical significance in lowering blood pressure between the first and last weeks of the study, says Ulrika, adding "the blood pressure reduction trend was fairly similar, regardless of the initial blood pressure level, blood pressure dropped."

The thesis shows how the use of an interactive system with questions and messages designed to act as a support in the treatment of high blood pressure can result in a reduction in blood pressure and function as a good basis for discussions and understanding of how the individual's lifestyle affects their blood pressure.

The study appears in Journal of Clinical Hypertension.