A new global review finds that digital tools like apps, SMS reminders, and websites can help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension, offering a low-cost add-on to traditional treatment.
Published Oct 01, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2025 | 7:00 AM
Even a tiny dip in BP can save lives by lowering the chance of heart attack or stroke.
Synopsis: A study by UK-based researchers indicated that blood pressure digital technology could be used to monitor and control blood pressure. The study gains significance in India since the country has a high smartphone penetration, and over 200 million adults are living with hypertension.
For millions of Indians struggling with hypertension, the doctor’s advice is usually simple: Eat less salt, exercise, lose weight, quit smoking, and reduce alcohol.
But following this advice consistently is often tough. That’s where technology steps in.
A new review of global studies has looked at whether digital tools – like mobile apps, SMS reminders, websites, or even wearable devices – can help people bring down their blood pressure.
A new systematic review and meta-analysis, published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, has shed more light on this issue.
The study was conducted by UK researchers Alexandra Lindsay-Perez, Rebecca Jurdon, Thomas King, Lydia Koffman, Nia Roberts, Richard J McManus, and David McCartney. They reviewed global evidence to see whether digital interventions targeting lifestyle changes can reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension.
The team ran a comprehensive search across MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library up to December 2021. After screening 5,302 records, they selected 17 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), covering 3,040 patients with hypertension.
The review looked at whether apps, SMS messages, and other digital tools can help people bring down their blood pressure. The answer: Yes, but with caveats.
Out of these, 12 studies were suitable for meta-analysis. The interventions studied included:
All interventions lasted at least three months. The review concluded that digital tools can indeed help lower blood pressure.
“This systematic review and meta-analysis finds a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure amongst hypertensive participants receiving a digital intervention to support lifestyle change, compared to controls,” the researchers said.
In simple words, people who used digital tools — like reminders to exercise, track salt intake, or check their BP — saw a bigger drop in blood pressure compared to those who didn’t.
But, how big was the change? The study found that people using digital help had their upper number (systolic BP) fall by about 6.4 points, compared to a 4.6 point drop in the usual-care group.
The difference of 2.9 points may sound small, but the researchers explained why it matters: “Previous studies suggest a blood pressure reduction of this size could lead to a risk reduction of 12 percent for coronary heart disease, and 15 percent for stroke.”
This means even a tiny dip in BP can save lives by lowering the chance of heart attack or stroke. But there’s a catch. The study also admitted that the results were not clear-cut because the apps and digital tools used in different trials varied. Some used SMS, others combined apps with nurse support, and some used wearable devices.
“Significant heterogeneity across multiple components of the included studies… constrains the interpretation of the meta-analysis,” the authors noted.
Another issue was time. Most studies lasted only 3–8 months, and only one followed people for a full year. So, the longevity of the benefits is not known. Despite these gaps, the message was hopeful.
“Lifestyle interventions delivered digitally could offer rapidly scalable, low-cost and effective management options at a population level, potentially delaying or avoiding pharmacotherapy,” the study concluded.
The researchers opined that while more research is needed, your smartphone or even a simple SMS programme could become part of your “BP prescription” in the future.
India has over 200 million adults living with hypertension, many of whom are undiagnosed or poorly controlled. While medicines are essential, lifestyle change is often the first step — but it is also the hardest to sustain.
As the authors noted, digital interventions have the potential to indirectly improve blood pressure by enhancing lifestyle modification. They may also be more cost-effective than non-digital equivalents, as they can be delivered at a large scale at low cost.
Doctors agreed that this could be of significance to India, where smartphone penetration is high, but follow-up care and lifestyle coaching are often limited outside big cities.
“I prescribe exercise and lifestyle changes. I also monitor people over WhatsApp groups where people are asked to share their diet with pictures. These things make them obligatory to share their daily lifestyle and hence help in tracking and motivating them better,” Bengaluru-based endocrinologist Dr K N Manohar told South First.
Meanwhile, Dr Abhay G, a diabetologist in Bengaluru, added that “hypertension has set in at a very young age in recent times. Many of them are not even aware that they have hypertension. There are many devices on the market. Wearable armbands to wristbands could actually reshape the way people understand diabetes and manage their health. They can monitor glucose spikes. Likewise, there are real-time insights providing glucose levels, heart rate, blood pressure, alcohol intake, and much more. These will really keep their health under control.”
Most doctors, especially nutritionists, said they monitored their patients over WhatsApp. However, the study authors warned that not all tech works the same: “Further research is required to understand which lifestyle factors, when targeted with digital interventions, result in maximal blood pressure reduction.”
This means that while some apps or SMS programmes worked, others did not — and researchers could not yet say which approach is best. Doctors South First spoke to said that while digital interventions showed promise, they should complement, not replace, medical care.
As the authors concluded: “Lifestyle interventions delivered digitally could offer rapidly scalable, low-cost and effective management options at a population level, potentially delaying or avoiding pharmacotherapy.”
For Indian patients, this means that the next time you see your doctor for high BP, it may be worth asking: “Should I also be using an app or SMS programme as part of my treatment?”
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
