Guardian Introduces Affordable, High Quality Blood Pressure Monitor to Address Hypertension in Malaysia

BP monitor from Guardian
BP monitor from Guardian

Hypertension is a silent, invisible killer that rarely causes symptoms. It places stress on the cardiovascular system that in turn leads to enlargement of the cardiac chambers and damages blood vessels that supply the heart. The increased pressure in the vessels can cause intracranial bleeding and can damage vital organs, including the liver, kidneys, brain, and lungs.

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for deaths in the Southeast Asian region, claiming a staggering 1.5 million lives each year[1], according to statistics from the World Health Organisation.

In Malaysia, 32% of Malaysians aged 18 and above, are affected by hypertension[2].

The risk does not need to be so high. Hypertension can be prevented. Prevention and management is far less costly, and safer than interventions like cardiac bypass surgery or dialysis that may be needed when hypertension is missed and goes untreated.

As with other non-communicable diseases, awareness aids early detection while self-care helps ensure regular intake of medication, healthy behaviours and better control of the condition[3].

Guardian, the leading pharmacy, health and beauty retail chain in Malaysia, has responded to the need for a high-quality and affordable blood pressure monitor for home use to aid in self-care, management and better control of hypertension among Malaysians.

The enhanced Guardian Blood Pressure Monitor is designed with a large LCD screen for higher visibility, even for elderly users. It features an easy-to-use interface that takes the anxiety out of home monitoring. With its wide adjustable cuff range that spans upper arm circumferences from 22cm to 36cm, it suits a variety of arm sizes providing comfortable, reliable and accurate blood pressure measurements. It also has an irregular heartbeat indicator.

The design philosophy of this device is simplicity, practicality and functionality. It has easy one-button operation to start and stop measurement, while it simultaneously displays the salient information for blood pressure monitoring namely the systolic and diastolic pressure, pulse rate and the date and time of the reading.

It uses the WHO Blood Pressure Classification that simplifies at home monitoring – optimal to normal in the green range, mild to moderate hypertension in the orange range and severe hypertension in the red range.

The Guardian Blood Pressure Monitor allows for two individual user groups of 90 memory capacity each. This means that two people, for example a couple, can share the device, thereby halving the cost of purchasing two individual units.

For greater accuracy, a reading average of the last three consecutive blood pressure measurements is used because Guardian understands the need for accurate readings for peace of mind, and to eliminate unnecessary false positives.

The Guardian Blood Pressure Monitor is a CE-certified medical device that has undergone and passed stringent testing for accuracy and reliability. It has a measurement range of 0 to 299 mmHg, and can detect pulse readings between 40 to 199 beats per minutes, making it suitable for people with a wide spectrum of health and pressure levels.

This sleek and compact upper arm cuff monitor is lightweight at just 254gms, and is small enough to be stored discretely in a handbag. It comes with a one year warranty against manufacturing defects.

[1] World Health Day 2013. High Blood Pressure: Global and Regional Overview. http://www.searo.who.int/entity/world_health_day/leaflet_burden_hbp_whd2013.pdf

[2] Fourth National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011

[3] A global brief on hypertension, Silent killer, global public health crisis, WH, April 2013. WHO/DCO/WHD/2013.2, pg 5

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