Hypertension is known as a silent killer for it rarely has symptoms initially. It is important to treat hypertension early as it can lead to heart disease and stroke. As hypertension has many serious side effects it is imperative to accurately obtain blood pressure.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects an estimated one-third of Americans age 20 or older, according to the National Institutes of Health. Hypertension is defined as a blood pressure of 140 over 90 millimeters of mercury or higher. One or both numbers may be above normal with hypertension.

Home blood pressure monitoring is an important component of managing high blood pressure, and is recommended by the American Heart Association, the American Society for Hypertension and other medical organizations. Taking a manual blood pressure reading is a simple yet significant task.