Objective: Central blood pressure may be a better risk marker than brachial blood pressure and can be measured noninvasively by tonometric devices. We investigate whether tonometric measurements are feasible in patients with diabetes and whether the degree of albuminuria or increased arterial stiffness affects measurements.
Patients and methods: In 676 patients with type 1 diabetes, comparison of central aortic systolic pressure (CASP) measurements by the BPro and the SphygmoCor devices were made. The BPro device can obtain both office and 24-h measurements, whereas the SphygmoCor device is an accepted device for CASP measurements.
Results: Measurements of CASP with both BPro and SphygmoCor were available in 598 (88.5%) patients (mean age 54 years; mean diabetes duration 33 years; 45.2% women), and mean±SD of CASP was 122±17 and 118±17 mmHg, respectively (P<0.001). Linear and intraclass correlation coefficients between CASP estimated from BPro and SphygmoCor were r equal to 0.96 and 0.95 (P<0.001 for both). The mean±SD difference between devices was 3.6±4.8 mmHg (P<0.001).Analyses according to the level of albuminuria or degree of arterial stiffness were confirmatory.
Conclusion: In patients with type 1 diabetes, tonometric measurements of CASP with BPro and SphygmoCor showed strong correlations, although values differed by ∼4 mmHg between devices. Level of CASP, arterial stiffness, and degree of albuminuria did not interfere with the agreement between devices.In addition, the BPro device can obtain 24-h measurements and may thus be useful to assess the diurnal patterns of CASP.