Efficiency of Office Blood Pressure Measurement in Comparison with 24 Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in the Diagnosis of Hypertension

Background: Hypertension continues to be one of the most common diagnosis in primary care practice and the most important risk factor in cardiovascular disease. As the Blood pressure (BP) fluctuates frequently, we should obtain an accurate BP to avoid misdiagnosis and over or under treatment. Aim and objectives: To study the validity of office blood pressure measurement by comparing it with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in hypertension patients attending outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: It is an Observational study carried out in 30 patients over the age of 25 years. Office BP was measured using a calibrated mercury sphygmomanometer and ABPM using Contec ABPM 50. Descriptive statistics such as Mean, SD were calculated and the difference between groups was calculated by Paired T-test. Results: Mean SBP were 151.6� 9.23 and 130.4� 16.6 in OBPM and ABPM respectively. Mean DBP were 93.7� 5.99 and 77.6� 10.27 in OBPM and ABPM respectively. There is a significant difference between the methods by Paired T-test (p = 0.0001). The prevalence of white coat hypertension was 33.3 %. Conclusion: Measurement of arterial blood pressure in a clinic alone is not sufficient for optimal detection and management of hypertension. We have to consider what is happening to our patients throughout the day and in between office visits. It is difficult to make clinical decisions based only on what happens when the patients are in the office.