[Measuring the blood pressure in both arms is of little use; longitudinal study into blood pressure differences between both arms and its reproducibility in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of inter-arm blood pressure differences > 10 mmHg in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) and to determine whether these differences are consistent over time.


METHODS
Descriptive.


METHODS
In an evaluation study of 169 DM2 patients from 5 general practices in 2003 and 2004, different methods of oscillatory measurement were used to investigate inter-arm blood pressure differences > 10 mmHg systolic or diastolic. These methods were: one measurement in each arm non-simultaneously (method A), one measurement simultaneously (B) and the mean of two simultaneous measurements (C).


RESULTS
With method A an inter-arm blood pressure difference was found in 33% of patients. This percentage diminished to 9 with method C. In 44% (n = 7) of the patients in whom method C detected a relevant blood pressure difference, this difference was not found with method A. In 79% of patients the inter-arm blood pressure difference was not reproduced after one year.


CONCLUSIONS
In daily practice, one non-simultaneous blood pressure measurement in each arm (method A) was of little value for identification of patients with inter-arm blood pressure differences. The reproducibility was poor one year later. Bilateral blood pressure measurement is therefore of little value.
Kleefstra
N
N
Isala klinieken, afd. Inwendige Geneeskunde, Zwolle. kleefstra@langerhans.com
Houweling
S T
ST
Meyboom-de Jong
B
B
Bilo
H J G
HJ
D000368:Aged; D001132:Arm; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D003971:Diastole; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013599:Systole