Background: Casual blood pressure (BP) measurement by healthcare professionals is subject to great variability and new methods are necessary to overcome this limitation.
Objective: To compare and assess the correlation between the BP levels obtained by self-measured BP (SMBP), casual BP measurement and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).
Methods: We assessed hypertensive individuals submitted to the three methods of BP measurement at an interval < 30 days; the BP means were used for comparison and correlation. The following devices were used: OMRON 705 CP (casual measurement), OMRON HEM 714 (SMBP) and SPACELABS 9002 (ABPM).
Results: A total of 32 patients were assessed, of which 50.09% were females, with a mean age of 59.7 (± 11.2), BMI mean of 26.04 (± 3.3) kg/m(2). Mean systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) for SMBP were 134 (± 15.71) mmHg and 79.32 (± 12.38) mmHg. The casual measurement means of SBP and DBP were, respectively, 140.84 (± 16.15) mmHg and 85 (± 9.68) mmHg. The mean values of ABPM during the wakefulness period were 130.47 (± 13.26) mmHg and 79.84 (± 9.82) mmHg for SBP and DBP, respectively. At the comparative analysis, the SMBP had similar results to those obtained at ABPM (p > 0.05) and different from the casual measurement (p < 0.05). At the analysis of correlation, SMBP values were higher than the casual measurements, considering ABPM as the reference standard in BP measurements.
Conclusion: SMBP showed a better correlation with ABPM than the casual measurement and was also better correlated with the latter, especially regarding the DBP and should be considered as a low-cost alternative for the follow-up of the hypertensive patient.