Home versus office monitoring of blood pressure: a European multicentre study of high blood pressure.

A prospective multicentre study has been set up to examine the following primary questions: (1) Is there a better correlation between blood pressure and mortality, morbidity or organ damage when blood pressure is measured by ambulatory recordings rather than by the usual office method? (2) Is there a difference in the rates of mortality, morbidity and organ damage when treatment is guided by ambulatory values instead of by office values? The aim is to study 2000 patients with primary hypertension, aged 35-70 years, for 5 years. Ambulatory recordings will be made every 6 months. Treatment will be based at random on either office or ambulatory blood pressure readings at each centre.