Normal values for finger systolic blood pressures in males and females

To compare finger systolic blood pressures in males and females and in younger and older persons and provide normal values for all four fingers in younger and older males and females.

Eighty healthy subjects participated in the study: 20 males and 20 females aged 20-30 years, and 20 males and 20 females aged 55-65 years. Finger systolic blood pressures (FSBPs) were measured using strain-gauge plethysmography following local cooling at 30 and 10 degrees C in accord with International Standard 14835-2. The FSBPs were measured simultaneously in the thumb and the four fingers of the dominant hand and the percentage changes in finger systolic blood pressures (%FSBPs) due to the cold provocation were calculated.

The median finger systolic blood pressures increased with increasing age in both females and males, with the increase highly significant at 30 degrees C but not at 10 degrees C. The %FSBPs were not significantly affected by the age of males, but were significantly lower in older females than younger females. The FSBPs were lower in females than in males at 30 degrees C but there was no significant difference between genders at 10 degrees C. The %FSBPs were higher in younger females than younger males, but only significantly higher in the middle finger and there were no significant differences between the genders in the older age group. There were only minor differences between the four fingers in the FSBPs at 30 and 10 degrees C. The %FSBPs across the four fingers were similar in the younger subjects and in the older females, but varied with finger in the older males.

Although there are some differences in the %FSBPs associated with age, gender, and finger, the differences may be sufficiently small to use a single value criterion when deciding on abnormalities in FSBP associated with cold provocation for persons aged 20-65 years.