title: The effect of cuff size on blood pressure measurement in adults.
abstract: We measured blood pressure differences by cuff size in 181 adults aged 25 to 74 years, allocated to a random sequence that involved the measurement of blood pressure using a small cuff, a large cuff, and an appropriate cuff as determined by standardized arm circumference measurement. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were underestimated by 3-5 mm Hg in men and 1-3 mm Hg in women when the cuff was one size larger than appropriate. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were overestimated by 2-6 mm Hg in men and 3-4 mm Hg in women when the cuff was one size smaller than appropriate. In addition, 30-40% of subjects were "misclassified" when blood pressure cutpoints were used to define hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sprafka
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strickland
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gómez-Marín
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Prineas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results