P-45: Positional differences in blood pressure (BP) in women

• Published in: American journal of hypertension 2005-05, Vol.18 (S4), p.24A-24A
• Main Authors: Babbar, Nidhika, Steigerwalt, Susan P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood Pressure Measurement; Office Measurement of Blood Pressure; Womens Health
• ISSN: 0895-7061; 1941-7225
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amjhyper.2005.03.063

The measurement of BP in office remains and essential element for diagnosis and treatment of HTN.Although AHA standards exist for body position for BP measurement, they are not always followed. There is little published data on the influence of arm and body position on BP in women.We studied differences in measured BP in 80 women the the outpatient setting with a mean age of 47.3± 16; 25% had HTN;47% were African American (using OMRON arm monitor, right arm, with appropriate cuff size) comparing seated, back supported arm at heart level vs seated on exam table, arm at the levels of heart; and arm at side in both positions.The order of measurements were: seated on exam table, arm parallel to upper body, rest two minutes, arm at heart level; move to chair, rest 5 minutes, arm parallel to body, rest two minutes, arm at heart level. Both Systolic(SBP) and diastolic(DBP) were higher on exam table vs seated on chair; and body parallel arm postion was higher than arm at heart level (ΔSBP 8.6 mmHg/ΔDBP 4.5) p