Dangerous Condition Underscores Importance of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

    BANNOCKBURN, Ill., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Relatively unknown
 to most consumers, morning hypertension -- the name given to high blood
 pressure in the morning -- is a serious condition known to significantly
 increase a patient's risk of stroke. Only detected through regular home
 blood pressure monitoring, patients can start to take control of their
 health by taking an average of their morning blood pressure readings and
 immediately alerting their doctor to any significant irregularities.
 
     "Although doctors can provide a blood pressure reading in their office,
 this is just a one-time, isolated measurement -- and it may not always show
 a complete picture of the patient's condition because they may be nervous
 (known as 'white coat hypertension'), or overly comfortable and trusting
 (known as 'masked hypertension')," said Dr. Annabelle Volgman, associate
 professor of medicine at Rush Medical College. "Therefore, regular blood
 pressure monitoring at home is critical for adults to control their blood
 pressure -- and it's the only viable way to detect morning hypertension."
 
     Omron Healthcare is the only company with a broad range of blood
 pressure monitors designed specifically to help identify this potentially
 deadly condition. The HEM-780 (upper arm model), HEM-790IT (upper arm with
 PC downloading capability) and HEM-670IT (wrist monitor with PC
 downloading) each come equipped with a morning blood pressure detector that
 automatically takes an average of morning readings and displays the morning
 hypertension symbol if the user's weekly average exceeds the upper limit of
 normal as defined by the American Heart Association guidelines.* The
 upper-arm devices feature a pre-formed Comfit Cuff(TM) that fits both
 regular and large arms for accurate and comfortable readings, and all
 models have an irregular heartbeat detector.
 
     "The development of products to identify morning hypertension
 underscores Omron Healthcare's dedication to empowering people to detect
 and prevent illnesses and conditions before it's too late to notify a
 physician," said Isao Ogino, Chief Executive Officer, Omron Healthcare.
 "Our aim is to help both doctors and patients by providing an at-home
 solution to help detect not only hypertension, but now morning hypertension
 as well."
 
     The HEM-780, HEM-790IT and HEM-670IT blood pressure monitors are
 available at pharmacies nationwide. For more information on morning
 hypertension, please visit http://www.bpnumbers.com.
 
     About Omron Healthcare, Inc.
 
     Omron Healthcare, Inc., located in Bannockburn, IL, a northern suburb
 of Chicago, is the North and South American subsidiary of Omron Healthcare
 group. A leading manufacturer and distributor of blood pressure monitors
 for home use, Omron Healthcare group is a market leader in blood pressure
 monitoring with over 70 million of its monitors sold worldwide to date.
 Omron Healthcare is committed to offering clinically proven, innovative
 weight management and thermometry products and devices for use in treatment
 of respiratory conditions, all with the aim of helping people achieve
 greater compliance and quality of life. With the April 2006 acquisition of
 the Colin(R) brand of blood pressure monitoring products for hospitals,
 clinics, and physician offices, Omron Healthcare has a unique position as a
 company offering a wide array of medical devices for use in sites ranging
 from hospitals to the home. For more information, visit
 http://www.omronhealthcare.com and for Colin products, visit
 http://www.colinmedical.com.
 
 

     *  The American Heart Association identifies an upper limit of normal
        blood pressure reading as 135 mmHg systolic and 85 mmHg diastolic.  The
        morning hypertension symbol is displayed on Omron Healthcare's devices
        if a user's average first morning reading for a week is above 135 for
        the systolic value and/or 85 for the diastolic value.
 
 
      Contact:
      Lila Trickle
      Edelman
      (312)-233-1218
      lila.trickle@edelman.com
 
 

SOURCE Omron Healthcare, Inc.