Abstract: PO1773
Influence of Biological Sex on Brachial Cuff Blood Pressure Accuracy
Session Information
- Hypertension and CVD: New insights
November 04, 2021 | Location: On-Demand, Virtual Only
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Hypertension and CVD
- 1401 Hypertension and CVD: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention
Authors
- Abbaoui, Yasmine, Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Lamarche, Florence, Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Nadeau-Fredette, Annie-Claire, Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Agharazii, Mohsen, CHU de Quebec-Universite Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
- Madore, Francois, Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Goupil, Remi, Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Background
Females have higher risks of cardiovascular events compared to males with similar BP. Our objective was to assess if the accuracy of brachial cuff and central BP measurements towards intra-aortic BP is influenced by biological sex.
Methods
We enrolled 500 patients undergoing coronary angiography for simultaneous measurements of invasive aortic BP with brachial cuff and central BP (Mobil-o-Graph device). Acceptable accuracy was defined as a mean difference between non-invasive and aortic BPs ≤5 ± ≤8 mmHg. Linear regression and mediation analyses were used to adjust for potential confounders in the relationship between biological sex and BP accuracy.
Results
Of 500 participants, 145 were females. Several characteristics were different in males and females (Table). Brachial cuff systolic BP (SBP) was identical in both groups whereas aortic SBP was 6.2 mmHg higher in females (p<0.001). As such, the brachial cuff appreciably underestimated the aortic SBP in females but not in males. Type II central SBP was the most accurate BP in females, whereas it was brachial cuff SBP in males. In an adjusted linear regression model, only height and pulse pressure were independently associated with the accuracy of brachial cuff SBP. This effect of sex on accuracy was mostly mediated by height (3.5 mmHg; 95% CI 1.4 to 5.6; 57% mediation) to an extent that the direct effect of sex became non-significant (2.9 mmHg; 95% CI -0.3 to 6.2).
Conclusion
Females have higher aortic SBPs than males with identical brachial cuff SBP, which is mostly mediated by a lower height. This could partly explain why females are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases than males at similar brachial cuff SBP levels.