Although most people don’t worry about their blood pressure until their golden years–and certainly the lion’s share of home blood pressure monitors are sold to consumers over age 65–the demographic of the person buying into blood pressure monitors may be trending two decades younger. For instance, two conditions often linked with high blood pressure but afflict people before they reach retirement age are diabetes and obesity.

“It makes intuitive sense that if you need to be watching your blood pressure because of obesity and diabetes that the user will skew just a little younger,” noted Mike Docherty, vice president and general manager of health products for Sunbeam.

“We’re starting to see more and more purchases of [monitors] by people in their 40s and 50s,” observed John Winegardner, category manager of blood pressure and wellness at Omron. “I wouldn’t say it’s a major shift, but we are starting to see a wider range of ages purchasing blood pressure monitors.”

Certainly, it’s been noted that baby boomers are more avid researchers of health conditions, and consequently they are better informed about high blood pressure concerns. According to the American Heart Association, visits to physicians for high blood pressure increased 60 percent in the past 20 years, whereas visits for all medical causes increased approximately 7 percent. The Al-IA asserts that most high blood pressure diagnoses in men develop between the ages of 35 and 55.

And clear some of that is reflected in category sales. Blood pressure kits and related items rose almost 37 percent, according to ACNielsen, with sales reaching $91 million during the 52 weeks ended Sept. 7.

Of course, those close to the business insist that category sales are largely driven by the senior population. There were 34.7 million seniors in 1999 according to the Census Bureau (the latest year for which statistics are available), and there are projected to be 39.4 million people over age 65 by 2010; 69.4 million by 2030. “The 65-plus [age] category is still 80 percent of the purchasers,” observed Scott Carlson, director of sales and marketing at ForeCare.