Abstract

GIRALDO, Mónica L; IBERO, Giana P  and  GARCIA, Héctor I. Comparison between serial measurement of blood pressure and ambulatory monitoring for the diagnosis of essential hypertension in a colombian population. Rev. Colomb. Cardiol. [online]. 2013, vol.20, n.6, pp.342-351. ISSN 0120-5633.

Objectives: to compare serial measurement of blood pressure in office with ambulatory blood pressure over 24 hours for the diagnosis of hypertension based on the criteria defined in the guidelines of the European Society of Hypertension - European Society of Cardiology (ESH -ESC) and the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC -VII) in an adult population in the city of Medellin. Methods: 66 patients between 18 and 65 years, with no previous diagnosis of hypertension nor risk factors for cardiovascular disease were studied, using three methods of blood pressure measurement (occasional, serial measurement of blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring), which were compared according to the different methods outlined in JNC -VII guidelines, ESH-ESC guidelines of Hypertension Care from the Ministry of Social Protection of Colombia. Results: 3,589 patients were studied initially with occasional measurement of blood pressure, of which 680 had blood pressure levels > 138/88. Of these, 346 were cited for serial blood pressure measurement; the rest did not meet inclusion criteria. The 66 patients with average blood pressure > 140/90 qualified for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Sensitivity of the serial measurement of blood pressure interpreted by any of the guidelines used was higher than 88% and specificity of less than 22%; the positive odds ratio was close to 1 in all cases. Conclusion: serial blood pressure measurement compared with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring has high sensitivity (greater than 88%) and low specificity (less than 22%) based on the three clinical guidelines used, and is not recommended as a reference test.

Keywords : blood pressure; hypertension; ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; sensitivity; specificity.

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