Nocturnal blood pressure measurement: can it be predicted by self-monitoring and is 24-hr BP monitoring clinically important in the treatment of hypertension.

We predict that 24-hour blood pressure data will be required prior to starting treatment in order to receive third-party payment. We are currently performing a cost benefit analysis in patients with mild to moderate hypertension to see the prevalence of inappropriate treatment of hypertension (diagnosed by normal 24-hour BP results) in an outpatient clinic population. We will compare the cost of treating that segment of the population that is inappropriately on treatment to the cost of 24-hour BP monitoring for the entire study population. As a result of this type of analysis, health care payors may require 24-hour BP documentation prior to hypertension treatment for all cases of mild to moderate hypertension.