How often do we observe blood pressure values of 110/70 and 120/80 mmHg in clinical practice?

Background: Measuring blood pressure and detecting hypertension are significant in antenatal monitoring. Most clinicians read blood pressure (BP) only to the nearest 10 mmHg. It is consistently seen in BP records that end digit is rounded off to zero showing end-digit preference (EDP) or terminal digit preference (TDP). Here, we assessed the frequency of EDP/TDP and 110/70 and 120/80 mmHg among BP records. Materials and methods: This was an observational study conducted in the outpatient department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. BP measurements were observed in 200 women. Fifty were healthy and non-pregnant while the remaining 150 were pregnant women, 50 from each trimester. Women between 20 and 30 years were included and those having any organic disease were excluded. Data was collected from10 am to 12 noon. Results: We found an increased frequency of EDP of zero among Systolic Blood Pressure (n=142, 71%) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (n=126, 63%) records and 110/70 mmHg (19.5%) and 120/80 mmHg (23. 5%). The number of patients with110/70 mmHg increased from 1st to 3rd trimester (n=6 in 1st trimester, n=10 in the 2nd trimester and n=17 in 3rd trimester) whereas those with 120/80 mmHg decreased from 1st to 3rd trimester (n=15 in 1st trimester, n=11 in the 2nd trimester and n=5 in 3rd trimester). Conclusion: We observed the higher frequency of terminal digit being zero, 110/70 and 120/80 mmHg in BP measurements. Health care professionals should be well-trained to avoid misinterpretation and misdiagnosis of hypertension, particularly among pregnant women.