{"id":111592,"date":"2024-10-08T00:22:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T17:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111592"},"modified":"2024-10-08T00:22:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T17:22:56","slug":"arm-position-during-blood-pressure-check-may-result-in-wrong-hypertension-diagnosis-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111592","title":{"rendered":"Arm position during blood pressure check may result in wrong hypertension diagnosis, study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"\">Blood pressure readings may not be accurate unless a person\u2019s arm is positioned correctly,\u00a0 a new study suggests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">A comparison of blood pressure readings taken while people held their arms three different ways\u00a0 \u2014 leaning on a surface, resting on the lap or hanging by the side of the body \u2014 showed certain positions could lead to a significant increase in systolic pressure, the upper number in a blood pressure reading, according to the study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. Systolic refers to the amount of pressure in a person\u2019s arteries, when the heart sends blood throughout the body.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The size of the difference, nearly 7 points in the arm dangling position, was a surprise, said the study\u2019s senior author, Dr. Tammy Brady, a pediatrician and epidemiologist and medical director of the pediatric hypertension program at the Johns Hopkins Children&#8217;s Center.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241007-blood-pressure-mn-1120-af24b6.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241007-blood-pressure-mn-1120-af24b6.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241007-blood-pressure-mn-1120-af24b6.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241007-blood-pressure-mn-1120-af24b6.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241007-blood-pressure-mn-1120-af24b6.jpg\" alt=\"For an accurate reading, the arm should be resting on a surface or tabletop. \" height=\"770\" width=\"1632\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">For an accurate reading, the arm should be resting on a surface. Your arm resting on your lap or by your side can result in a higher systolic number.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Dr. Tammy Brady \/ Johns Hopkins School of Medicine<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">The researchers weren\u2019t sure what to expect prior to running their experiment. \u201cThere was a chance that arm position was not important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cOne of my hopes is that this will help inform patients as to how to do this on their own and also to tell their health care provider the right way,\u201d Brady said. \u201cPatients should be empowered to make sure the blood pressure measurement is accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart.org\/-\/media\/files\/health-topics\/high-blood-pressure\/tylenol-hbp\/aha_toolkit_poster_final_102618.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The American Heart Association<\/a> recommends that a patient\u2019s arm should be supported to get an accurate reading. The guidelines also say:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"break-above body-ul body-list-el\">\n<li>Avoid caffeine, exercise and smoking for 30 minutes.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The blood pressure cuff should be positioned at mid-heart level.<\/li>\n<li>The patient\u2019s feet should be flat on the floor, with the back supported.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\">Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure,\u00a0 which occurs when the measured force of blood flowing through blood vessels is higher than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/heart-health\/healthy-blood-pressure-both-numbers-matter-n1030851\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">what is considered normal<\/a>: less than 120 systolic pressure and less than 80 diastolic. Diastolic is the pressure in the arteries between heart beats. Hypertension often causes minimal symptoms but untreated it can increase\u00a0 the risk for stroke, heart attack and other serious cardiovascular conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">To learn whether arm position made a difference in blood pressure readings, Brady and her colleagues recruited 133 adults, 78% of them Black and 52% female. The study volunteers\u2019 ages ranged from 18 to 80.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">While all the participants had blood pressure measured in each of the three arm positions, they were randomly assigned to one of six possible groups that differed by the order in which the positions were assumed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The researchers found that when people had their arms hanging by their sides during the reading, their systolic pressure was 6.5 points higher than when their arms were resting on a desk, while the diastolic blood pressure \u2014 the bottom number \u2014 was 4.4 points higher than in the supported condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Similarly when people\u2019s arms were on their laps, the systolic blood pressure was 3.9 points higher than when their arms were supported by a surface, while the diastolic pressure was 4 points higher than in the supported condition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Those differences can lead to more diagnoses of hypertension and patients being prescribed medications they don\u2019t need<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">For example, if a person\u2019s actual blood pressure is 134, and blood pressure is measured on a dangling arm, the reading could end up over 140, which is considered to be stage 2 hypertension.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Mispositioning of a patient\u2019s arm \u201cunfortunately is a common experience,\u201d said Dr. Karyn Singer, an assistant professor of medicine at New York University and assistant vice president of chronic disease and prevention at NYC Health + Hospitals. \u201cAs a patient, I\u2019ve been there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The study provides a \u201cpiece of evidence that is really critical,\u201d said Singer, who was not affiliated with the new research. \u201cUntil now it hasn\u2019t been clear how much arm position changes blood pressure readings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Singer\u2019s main message for patients: \u201cBe aware of the proper blood pressure measuring technique and to advocate for themselves if they think the blood pressure reading is higher than they think it should be.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">As a patient, Dr.\u00a0Megan Kamath has also had similar experiences at different health care settings and different offices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThere is a pretty significant difference in blood pressure readings depending on arm position,\u201d said Kamath, a cardiologist at UCLA Health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThis is a fascinating study,\u201d said Kamath, who was not involved with the research. \u201cWhat I took from reading it was, wow, with a simple study design these researchers found some important real world implications that can make the difference between a patient being treated for hypertension or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Patients who receive blood pressure lowering medication that they don\u2019t need may experience side effects, such as lightheadedness, dizziness, fatigue and blurry vision, Singer said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Dr. Matthew Tomey, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City, said the findings support a patient asking for a doctor to measure blood pressure the &#8220;right way.&#8221; \u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"endmark\">The differences found by the researchers can be enough to move someone from one blood pressure category to another, said Tomey, who was not part of the new study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/heart-health\/arm-position-blood-pressure-increase-hypertension-check-rcna174245\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blood pressure readings may not be accurate unless a person\u2019s arm is positioned correctly,\u00a0 a new study suggests. A comparison of blood pressure readings taken while people held their arms &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111592\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=111592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111592\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=111592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=111592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=111592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}