In Los Angeles, 52 hairdressers and barbers took part in an unprecedented experience: welcoming a pharmacist to take their customers’ blood pressure. A conclusive test since it reduced the cardiovascular risk.
Will we soon be able to have our blood pressure checked at our hairdresser between the shampoo and the haircut?
This seemingly absurd idea is gaining ground. In Los Angeles County, 52 hairdressers and barbers have been welcoming pharmacists for several months to measure the blood pressure of men coming to have their hair done. The results, published earlier this week in the journal Traffic, are very encouraging. According to its authors, this initiative has led to a significant reduction in high blood pressure.
Better screening of at-risk populations
Arterial hypertension (HTA) corresponds to an hypertension of the blood on the walls of the arteries. In general, patients with hypertension have a blood pressure score above 130 out of 80, although those with a first digit above 120 are now considered to have high blood pressure. A silent disease, high blood pressure stiffens the arteries and causes them to age prematurely, which exposes you to a major risk of cardiovascular accidents, in particular myocardial infarction, strokes and kidney failure.
For Dr. Ronald G. Victor, considered one of the world’s foremost experts on hypertension interventions and community health care, this experience in hair salons is beneficial because it helps to screen high-risk populations in an environment where they are more comfortable. Patients are then more receptive to the medical care recommended in the event of hypertension.
A significant reduction in high blood pressure
This study, of 52 hairdressers and barbers in Los Angeles County, was conducted over 12 months by the Smidt Heart Institute in Cedars-Sinai. It backs up a previous study that has already proven that a pharmacist-led, barber-based medical intervention can lower risk in men.
“Our initial 6-month data showed a marked reduction in blood pressure in the intervention group,” says pharmacist C. Adair Blyler, author of the study. “Our 12-month data show that this significant reduction in blood pressure can be maintained, and even improved in some cases, despite fewer in-person visits to the pharmacist,” he continues.
For a year, pharmacists were dispatched to hairdressing salons to monitor blood pressure, prescribe or adjust patients’ medications. By the end of the experiment, mean systolic blood pressure – the highest number for a blood pressure reading – had dropped by almost 29 mmHg in the intervention group and 7.2 mmHg in the group. control, which is a difference of just over 21 mmHg.
“This study will have a lasting impact on one of the most exposed populations in our country when it comes to high blood pressure,” predicts Dr. Eduardo Marbán, director of the Smidt Heart Institute. “As an institution, we are proud of these results and know that Ron Victor would have been proud to see his vision deliver such successful results that will positively impact thousands of lives.”
Thanks to these positive results, researchers at the Smidt Heart Institute will now focus on the possibility of extending this device to other hair salons, but also to implement it with other high-risk communities outside the Los Angeles County.
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