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Effect of Arm Spasticity Grade on Blood Pressure Measurement

Objective: The arm spasticity in patients with stroke has been proved to affect blood pressure measurement. However, earlier studies showed inconsistent results of how the spasticity affected the measurement of blood pressure. In some cases, measurement of blood pressure in patients' involved arm is necessary, so the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of spasticity grade on blood pressure measurement in patients with stroke.Methods: We recruited 50 patients with hemiplegia or hemiparesis after stroke. The grade of arm spasticity was assessed using the modified Ashworth scale (MAS), while the bilateral brachial artery pressure was measured using an electronic sphygmomanometer. Differences in blood pressure between normal and involved arm were compared using student's t-test. We used ANOVA to analyze group differences in blood pressure changes at different grades of spasticity, and performed Spearman rank correlation to evaluate the correlation between different spasticity levels and differences in mean blood pressure.Results: Inter-arm blood pressure showed no significant difference when the grade of arm spasticity was low (MAS=0, 1, 1+), but blood pressure on the involved side was higher than normal side when the spasticity grade was high (MAS≥2). Differences in spasticity grade were positively correlated with inter-arm differences in blood pressure (Spearman rank correlation coefficient=0.43; p＜0.05).Conclusions: Grade of arm spasticity may affect blood pressure measurement. Higher blood pressure on the spastic arm may be measured in patients with severe spasticity (MAS≥2).