Latin-American Ambulatory Blood Pressure Registry (MAPA-LATAM): An urgent need

Abstract

Hypertension (HT) is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although it is a global problem, independently of economic situation, region, race or culture, the data available on Latin America are limited. Clinical guidelines emphasise the importance of obtaining reliable blood pressure readings. For this reason, the use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is recommended. This improves precision and reproducibility, resulting in better diagnosing and therapeutic decision-making, and constitutes a better estimation of prognosis than office measurements. Unfortunately, there is no global prospective ABPM registry for all of Latin America that analyses HT prevalence, the level of knowledge about it, treatment percentage and the degree of control. Consequently, the authors of this article consider its implementation a priority.

Keywords: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; Arterial hypertension; Hipertensión arterial; Latin America; Latinoamérica; Monitorización ambulatoria de la presión arterial; Prospective registry; Registro prospectivo.