How is high blood pressure detected?

The best way to have your blood pressure measured is to undergo sphygmomanometry (the blood pressure cuff) at your doctor's office. This method for detecting high blood pressure is highly accurate when performed correctly. Other methods are even more accurate but are not appropriate for routine screening because of their invasiveness (cutting or puncturing of the body), technical limitations, and cost. Although special circumstances might make home measurements of blood pressure useful, there is not enough evidence to say you should use them routinely for checking for high blood pressure.

The diagnosis of hypertension should not be made on the basis of a single measurement. If you have a high reading, it should be confirmed on more than one reading at each of three separate visits.

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