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Most, if not all of us have had their blood pressure taken, whether it’s by a medical professional or at a pharmacy.
A person’s arm position is important in getting a proper reading, so much so that a new study suggests that blood pressure readings may not be accurate unless the arm position is correct.
Researchers compared blood pressure readings taken while people head their arms three different ways, which showed certain positions could lead to a significant increase in systolic pressure, which is the upper number in a reading.
The three positions — leaning on a surface, resting on the lap, or hanging alongside the body — gave very different readings, particularly when the position is of the arm dangling which had a nearly-seven-point difference.
“There was a chance that arm position was not important,” Dr. Tammy Brady, the medical director of the pediatric hypertension program at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and study’s senior author, told NBC News.
“One 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,” she continued.
“Patients should be empowered to make sure the blood pressure measurement is accurate.”
The 133 participants — who ranged in age from 18 to 80, 78% of whom were Black and 52% were female — each had their blood pressure measured in the three arm positions.
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The results showed 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 — the bottom number — was 4.4 points higher.
When the subjects’ arms were on their laps, the systolic blood pressure was 3.9 points higher versus when their arms were supported by a surface, and the diastolic pressure was 4 points higher.
As a result of those differences, there could be misdiagnoses of hypertension and patients being prescribed needless medications.
If a health-care provider isn’t taking your reading, the Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends that five minutes prior, the individual should remove any bulky or tight clothing, sit quietly with feet on the floor, sit back, and rest arm at heart level on a table or firm surface.
Thirty minutes before a person checks their blood pressure, they should not smoke, drink caffeinated beverages and use the washroom ahead of time, and should avoid trying to measure it if the individual is in pain or distress.
It also notes that a person should always use the same arm to get the most accurate reading.
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