Are diastolic blood pressure measurements necessary?
The British Medical Journal has featured a discussion on whether diastolic blood pressure measurements are necessary. The author for the for argument concludes: Rather than abandon diastolic pressure, I would advocate that every patient with suspected hypertension should have both systolic and diastolic pressure measured over 24 hours to confirm or refute the diagnosis of sustained hypertension. And every patient with uncontrolled hypertension, whether systolic, diastolic, or both, should have ambulatory blood pressure measurement repeated until 24 hour control of blood pressure is achieved. The author for the against argument concludes: There is little justification for its retention [diastolic blood pressure measurement] as a determinant of treatment decisions. Its measurement is less accurate, and it is less powerful than systolic blood pressure as a predictor of future events; when both systolic and diastolic pressure are raised, systolic pressure should guide therapeutic decisions
