Prevention · Screening
Blood pressure checks
High blood pressure rarely causes symptoms but raises the risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. Learn who should be checked and how often.
Written by LON6EVITY Editorial Team · Last updated
Overview
The WHO notes that many people with hypertension are unaware of it because it often has no symptoms. Measuring blood pressure is the only way to know.
Who should be checked
The USPSTF recommends screening for high blood pressure in adults aged 18 and older, with confirmation outside the clinic, for example with home or ambulatory monitoring.
How often
The NHS suggests adults over 40 have their blood pressure checked at least every five years, more often if there are risk factors or previous high readings.
Home monitoring
Validated home monitors can help confirm readings and track changes. Clinicians interpret averages over time rather than single readings.
Questions people commonly ask
- Is one high reading hypertension?
- No. Diagnosis is based on repeated readings, often including home or ambulatory measurements.
Related topics
See where your preventive health stands
What does this mean for your own health data? Log your results, follow trends over time and bring an organised summary to your next doctor's appointment.
Sources
- Hypertension in Adults: Screening. USPSTF, 2021.
- High blood pressure (hypertension). NHS.
- Hypertension fact sheet. WHO.