Effects of noise on office blood pressure measurement

Objective To investigate the influence of office noise on blood pressure measurement. Methods A total of 869 eligible people were consecutively recruited from cardiac clinic of Henan Province People's Hospital from January 2015 to June 2016. Subjects were divided into 2 groups according the noise level of clinic based on the national standards for acoustic environmental quality of People's Republic of China (daytime ≤55 dB), blood pressure data were analyzed with T-test and logistic regression analysis. Result The mean SBP and |△SBP| measured in relatively high noise group was significantly higher than those measured in low noise group [(144.04±21.58) mmHg vs. (140.06±18.11) mmHg, P=0.003; (13.44±14.67) mmHg vs. (9.52±12.19) mmHg, P<0.001, respectively]. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the noise meet the standard (≤55 dB) was significantly associated with |△SBP| (OR=0.648, 95%CI: 0.494-0.850). Conclusions The level of noise in the consulting room is associated with the difference in SBP measured in home and clinic. Key words: Noise; Office blood pressure measurement; Home blood pressure measurement