title: Blood pressure self-measurement in the elderly: differences between automatic and semi-automatic systems.
abstract: Arterial hypertension is the most common cardiovascular risk factor in the elderly. Its clinical control emphasises the problem of the systems used for monitoring: clinical measurement by the physician, home self-monitoring, ambulatory monitoring, etc. In particular, in the elderly population, the self-monitoring of blood pressure can present further problems associated with their situation. In our study we evaluated, in an elderly population, the differences in the self-recording of blood pressure with automatic and semi-automatic equipment using a mercury sphygmomanometer by a physician as a 'gold standard' control. We studied 28 elderly subjects using a rigid protocol for the self-measurement of their blood pressure. Our results show that automatic equipment is significantly more precise and easier to use than semiautomatic equipment in home self-measurement of blood pressure in elderly people.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Patologia Cardiovascolare ed Ipertensione Arteriosa, Istutito INRCA, Italian National Research Centres on Aging, Ancona.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Antonicelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Partemi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spazzafumo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amadio
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Paciaroni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001331:Automation; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012648:Self Care