Almost 1 In Every 4 Adult Male Deaths in the United States is Caused by Heart Disease; Hypertension Continues To Be A Leading Cause Of Heart Disease

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Men’s health issues continue to be a concern in the United States, where men generally live six years fewer than women. The leading cause of death of men in the US is heart disease¹ and one of the biggest contributing factors to heart disease is hypertension, which affects a high percentage of men (50%) in the US².

During Men’s Health Month, Smart Meter, the leading supplier of devices and data for the remote patient monitoring (RPM) sector, would like to encourage all men to take control of their health, especially those with high blood pressure. In a recent survey of more than 200 people who suffer from hypertension, it revealed that a majority (53%) would test their blood pressure more consistently if they knew the reading was being sent to their physician.

According to American Heart Association research³, “real-time monitoring programs can reduce systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) significantly, compared to traditional self-monitoring. This can lower the incidence of hypertension-related acute events, cutting costs of hospital stays and ER visits.”

“Any resource that aids or encourages hypertension patients to self monitor is incredibly valuable in the efforts to control the disease,” said Dr. Bill Lewis, a leading telehealth consultant. “By using a remote patient monitoring (RPM) system with cellular-enabled devices that send readings immediately to a provider, patients know their test results are being viewed and tracked regularly. In one study of home monitoring⁴, 25% of patients were able to stop using hypertensive drugs.”

With Smart Meter’s proprietary cellular-connected iBloodPressure^® systems, the measurement is transmitted instantly to the patient’s physician via our exclusive AT&T IoT private data network that ensures reliability, security, and privacy every time. The new iBloodPressure Plus features blood pressure zone visual indicators to show the patient whether they are in a healthy range or a dangerous range. In addition, it offers voice assistance to provide results to people with disabilities and guide them to successfully complete their blood pressure test.

“The ability to track key factors that can lead to heart disease is now easier than ever with our iBloodPressure systems,” said Casey Pittock, Smart Meter’s CEO. “Our cellular technology means that the patient isn’t required to do anything after the test. We have seen firsthand the positive impact on patient outcomes when our iBloodPressure monitors are used with an RPM program.”

About Smart Meter, LLC

Smart Meter is the number one supplier of Remote Patient Monitoring ("RPM") solutions to a nationwide network of SmartPartners™ who are transforming patient care and today are used by over 200,000 patients in the US. Millions of vital health data readings are reliably delivered across our secure platform, enabling SmartPartners to provide real-time, better-informed health care. Our proprietary, patient-friendly, cellular, FDA-registered monitoring devices are connected to an exclusive AT&T IoT Private Data Network to ensure an engaging patient experience for improved adherence. For more information, visit SmartMeterRPM.com

¹ Leading Causes of Death – Males – All races and origins – United States, 2018 | Minority Health | CDC
² Facts About Hypertension | cdc.gov
³ remote-patient-monitoring-guidance-2019.pdf (heart.org)
⁴ Antihypertensive treatment based on blood pressure measurement at home or in the physician's office: a randomized controlled trial - PubMed (nih.gov)