Self-monitoring of home blood pressure with estimation of daily salt intake using a new electrical device

We investigated a simple device to monitor daily salt intake at home and examined the relationship between salt excretion and morning blood pressure in order to enable patients to better manage daily salt intake and hypertension. The correlation between 24-h urinary salt excretion and measured value with salt monitor from overnight urine was significant (n = 224, r = 0.72, P < 0.001). A total of 46 volunteers participated for more than 3 weeks by measuring daily salt intake and morning blood pressure. The relationship between predicted daily salt excretion and blood pressure was examined with use of 3-day moving average. Mean salt excretion and systolic blood pressure (SBP) significantly decreased by the end of the trial (i.e., salt excretion decreased from 158+/-31 to 149+/-30 mmol/day and SBP from 137+/-17 to 133+/-16 mm Hg). Of 46 participants, 18 (39%) had a significant correlation between predicted daily salt excretion and blood pressure (r > 0.4, P < 0.05, n > 21), indicating sodium sensitivity. An additional 17% had a positive correlation that did not reach statistical significance (0.2 < r < or = 0.4), and the remaining 44% had no correlation (r < or = 0.2). Mean decrease in blood pressure per decrease in salt (g) (17 mmol) intake in the 18 participants with a significant correlation was 3.3 mm Hg (SBP) and 1.5 mm Hg (diastolic blood pressure), which was higher than that reported for other studies. Hypertensive patients not using medication showed the largest decrease. We conclude that daily monitoring of salt intake and morning blood pressure will be useful for management of hypertension.