Publication de 4 numéros par an
ISSN Imprimer: 0896-2960
ISSN En ligne: 2162-6553
Indexed in
Prevalence and Reliability of Inter-arm Differences in Blood Pressure in Young, Healthy Adults: An Experimental Evaluation−Part II
RÉSUMÉ
Dual-arm blood pressure (BP) measurement is recommended when screening patients for hypertension. The prevalence and reliability of inter-arm differences, however, remain unclear in young, healthy adults. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and reliability of inter-arm BP differences in young, healthy adults. Methods: Prevalence of systolic and diastolic inter-arm differences using traditional thresholds (e.g., ≥10 mmHg) were examined using sequential and simultaneous automated resting BP measurements (Dinamap Carescape v100, Critikon, USA) in 18 young, healthy adults (25±4 years). Measurements were taken on two separate days to test for reliability. Results: First-day prevalence of systolic BP inter-arm differences ≥10 mmHg was 5.6% (CI 0.1−27.3) when measured sequentially and 11.1% (CI 1.4−34.7) when measured simultaneously, while no diastolic BP inter-arm differences of this magnitude were observed using either technique. With respect to reliability, although nonsignificant (p>0.05), prevalence of systolic and diastolic BP inter-arm differences decreased on a second day, and systolic BP inter-arm differences ≥10 mmHg disappeared altogether. Conclusions: Findings support previous prevalence data for systolic and diastolic BP inter-arm differences of ≥10 mmHg of 0%−13% and 0%−9%, respectively. Nevertheless, these findings were not reliable on a second testing day.