Frost: Demographic Shift Drives Blood Pressure Monitoring Markets

May 12, 2006

As the U.S. population diagnosed with high blood pressure and hypertension increases, the awareness and trial of blood pressure self-monitoring will continue to grow. According to Frost & Sullivan, this will lead to increased preventative care as people try to avoid the serious effects of hypertension. As a result of educational programs and outreach, analysts said there is already a shift in the demographic concerned about hypertension.

Frost & Sullivan found that the U.S. blood pressure monitoring equipment market earned revenues of $452.94M in 2005, with estimates to reach $878.29M by 2012.

"Today younger people in their early to mid-30s are beginning to self-monitor blood pressure for precautionary or preventative reasons," said Frost & Sullivan research analyst Namrata Sundaresan. "These changes are driving the demand for sphygmomanometer devices and in particular, digital units, within the home use market."

An aging population, coupled with increased obesity and sedentary lifestyles, contributes to the growing incidence of hypertension. This creates an ever-increasing demand for blood pressure monitoring equipment, as well as public education about hypertension. Between the public and private sectors, it's necessary to develop a plan to control hypertension before it results in more cases of life-threatening illnesses such as stroke and cardiovascular disease. The burden of managing the education and awareness-related needs will fall on the manufacturers and healthcare professionals.

Aneroid sphygmomanometers remain one of the lowest-priced blood pressure monitoring devices on the market with a strong penetration of aneroid units in the professional market. The home use market has also seen good penetration of aneroid units. However, digital units - because of their ease of use, portability and increasing affordability - dominate the home market.

Analysts said growth within the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring segment has been stable over the last few years, relying mostly upon research-related demand. The real growth in this segment has been restrained due to the absence of reimbursement. In the past, there were cases where physicians would pay for ambulatory monitoring from their own pockets because it was indicated for certain patients, but there were no means to pay for it.

Healthcare professionals and manufacturers have welcomed the recent Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for ambulatory blood pressure monitors. However, most industry observers believe that the reimbursement amount is fairly limited. While news of the reimbursement has already spurred growth in the market, it is believed that a larger amount would have created a greater stimulus.

Source: Frost & Sullivan.