THE PREVALENCE OF PSEUDOHYPERTENSION IN THE ELDERLY

Pseudohypertension (PHT) could lead to the initiation of unnecessary a ntihypertensive treatment and potentially adverse consequences. The Fi napres is reported to be a reliable alternative to intra-arterial bloo d pressure (BP) measurements and is unlikely to be distorted by arteri al calcification, suggested to be a cause of PHT. Finapres measurement s were compared with sphygmomanometric measures of brachial BP. PHT wa s defined as a systolic pressure (brachial) greater than or equal to 1 90 mm Hg and finger systolic <160 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure (brach ial) greater than or equal to 100 mm Hg and finger pressure <90 mm Hg. One hundred and twenty-five elderly in-patients and out-patients, bot h hypertensive and normotensive, had a 2.5% prevalence of PHT (1 had d iastolic PHT in the left arm, 1 had systolic PHT in the right arm and 1 had systolic PHT in both arms). A group without PHT, but with higher systolic readings with the sphygmomanometer compared with the Finapre s (greater than or equal to 30 mm Hg) was identified. It was thought t hat the same factors may affect both pseudohypertensive and non-pseudo hypertensive subjects with such large differences. Our data suggest th at age plays a role in the presence of higher brachial pressures.