Researchers: How you should measure your blood pressure, what you knew wrong

2023-06-11 12:08:00, Shëndeti CNA

Measuring blood pressure is a regular procedure that everyone follows, mostly from a certain age. Most of us have a blood pressure monitor at home, with which we regularly check our pressure. This check is a standard procedure, but very essential, since blood pressure testifies to the health of our heart and can warn of various risks, such as cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.

But are we following the right way to make this important measurement?

Modern practice requires us to measure blood pressure by holding the cuff on one arm and waiting for the results of the device. And although this practice is widespread, it is not actually based on adequate scientific recommendations, argues a group of researchers, who make it clear that measuring with one hand is not enough to get the right blood pressure results.

Researchers "led" a new study, the results of which were published in the journal of the American Heart Association Hypertension, analyzing the medical records of 53,172 adults from 23 studies conducted in different countries of the world.

The participants were on average 60 years old. The experts found that only if patients took blood pressure readings from both arms were they able to tell which arm gave the higher - and therefore more accurate - reading, so that they ultimately got the correct blood pressure readings. blood pressure.

The researchers, in fact, argued that the measurement should be repeated more than once, so that the results are as accurate as possible.

In a 2019 scientific publication, the American Heart Association recommended that both arms be measured for each patient at least at their first visit to the doctor, and that the right arm be used for repeat measurements, which provided more accurate results. high.

The same report said, among other things, that we should make sure to use the right size cuff according to the circumference of each patient's hand.

"If you only take readings from one hand, you can't tell which hand gives the highest values," explains lead author Dr. Christopher Clark.

"And if you don't record your blood pressure properly, you won't be able to treat it."

It is noted that blood pressure is considered high if the systolic (large) reading is 130 mmHg or more or if the diastolic (small) pressure is 80 mmHg or more. High blood pressure is an important predictor of risk for serious conditions such as heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

The researchers found that 12% of participants who unknowingly had their blood pressure taken from the arm that gave the lowest readings had undiagnosed hypertension, resulting in these patients not receiving needed treatment.

Considering that hypertension is a risk indicator for cardiovascular diseases, its wrong diagnosis can have very serious consequences for the patient, warn the authors of the study.

Instead, by taking blood pressure from both arms and finding out which arm in each patient gave the highest values, the researchers were able to reassess 3.5% of the participants – 645 people – as being at risk for cardiovascular disease. but also a 4.6% – more than 1000 people – as possible patients with coronary heart disease. In any case, the measurement of blood pressure in the right hand can predict the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

It is noted that about half of US adults have hypertension, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high blood pressure was the leading cause of more than 670,000 deaths in the US in 2020.

Its insufficient control is one of the main causes of premature deaths and cardiovascular events worldwide./CNA.al