Blood Pressure Monitors Show Steady Growth

The world market for blood pressure monitors will show steady growth for the forseeable as aging populations climb in number and diseases exacting their toll require observation and supervision, according to a new report from Englewood, Colo.-based research firm IHS Inc.

Global revenue for blood pressure monitors is set to reach $854.9 million by the end of the year, up a modest 2 percent from $838.8 million in 2012. Revenue expansion will hold firm at the 2 to 3 percent range for the next three years, before bounding to a 5 percent increase by 2017, according to the study’s authors. By then, sales will amount to $963.2 million. The majority of revenue will stem from automatic upper-arm monitors, which is the preferred type of blood pressure monitor.

“One important reason for the consistent rise in revenue over the years is that the worldwide population of those aged 65 and above will continue to grow over time, making up an increasingly larger percentage,” said Roeen Roashan, analyst for consumer medical devices and digital health. “As a result, health monitoring will increase, which will drive market growth for blood pressure monitors. While evident in all regions, the phenomenon will be particularly apparent in Europe and Asia.”

A second reason for the growth of the market stems from the continuing impact of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, responsible for more than 30 percent of annual deaths, Roashan noted. Lifestyle diseases are at their highest prevalence given the current state of people diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. In particular, developing countries such as China, India, Russia, and the sub-Saharan African region are experiencing high growth in hypertension incidence, taking place because of a richer diet borne out of rising discretionary income. The trend in these regions will undoubtedly spur market demand overall for blood pressure monitors.

A third reason is due to government initiatives in preventive care, which have had the effect of increasing awareness among consumers of the benefits to be obtained from health monitoring. The basis for preventive care is health monitoring, and prohibitive healthcare costs have only added to the urgency of the matter.

Denmark and the United Kingdom have been especially successful in implementing telehealth—the remote monitoring of health conditions via monitors and compatible devices—contributing to higher demand for blood pressure monitors.

Overall, blood pressure monitors will be part of an $8.2 billion market this year for consumer medical devices including blood glucose meters, activity and heart-rate monitors, and hearing aids. By 2017, total revenue for consumer medical devices will equate to a staggering $10.6 billion.