Have you ever wondered if the way you hold your arm during a blood pressure check could affect the results? A new study suggests it absolutely can – and the difference could mean the difference between a clean bill of health and a hypertension diagnosis.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that there are common arm positions that can significantly throw off blood pressure measurements. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, reveals that simply resting your arm on your lap or letting it hang by your side during a blood pressure check could inflate your reading by up to 10 points.
The implications are staggering. Based on the researchers’ calculations, the wrong arm position could result in misdiagnosing up to 54 million Americans with hypertension. That’s more than the entire population of California being told they have high blood pressure when they might not.
What’s the right way to position your arm?
According to guidelines, your arm should be supported on a desk or table with the middle of the cuff at heart level. In many doctor’s offices, clinics, and even some hospitals, however, this ideal setup isn’t always available or followed.
The study, led by Dr. Tammy M. Brady and her team, involved 133 adults between the ages of 18 and 80 in Baltimore. Participants had their blood pressure measured multiple times in different arm positions: supported on a desk (the recommended method), resting on their lap, and hanging unsupported at their side.
When participants had their arm resting on their lap, systolic blood pressure (the top number) was overestimated by about four points, and diastolic (the bottom number) by four points as well. The unsupported arm hanging at the side led to even larger discrepancies: systolic was overestimated by about seven points and diastolic by 4.4 points.
For people already dealing with high blood pressure, the effect was even more pronounced. Among those with hypertensive levels, having the arm at the side led to a whopping nine-point overestimation in systolic blood pressure.
These findings underscore the importance of proper technique in blood pressure measurement. It’s not just about getting a number – it’s about getting an accurate number that can guide appropriate medical decisions.
Source: https://studyfinds.org/wrong-arm-position-hypertension/?nab=0