title: Fat arms, obesity and choice of blood pressure cuff size in diabetic patients.
abstract: Four hundred consecutive diabetic patients had their mid-arm circumference (AC) measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated to determine the proportion of an unselected clinic group who would require a larger than standard adult blood pressure (BP) cuff and whether or not BMI could be used to predict AC and hence choice of appropriate BP cuff size. More than 75% of both men and women had an AC > or = 29cm, justifying a larger than standard adult cuff for their BP measurement. When patients were classified according to their BMI, at least 80% with a BMI > or = 30 and more than 70% with a BMI of 25-29 had a measured AC > or = 29cm, while less than a third of patients with a BMI > or = 25 had an AC > or = 29cm. These results indicate that, in a diabetic clinic, most patients with a BMI > or = 25 are likely to require an alternative adult BP cuff if their blood pressure is to be measured precisely.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School, London.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Feher
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Foxton
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Lant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity