While checking blood pressure, people find out their health by taking a single hand reading, but is this the right way to check blood pressure? Research done on blood pressure has shown that if there is a huge disparity in the blood pressure of both arms, then it can cause premature death.
Researchers from Britain, after doing research on 230 people, have claimed that for those who have high blood pressure disease and there is a huge difference in the blood pressure of both their arms, then their death time due to heart disease, stroke, or other reasons. It may have happened earlier.
Dr. Clark, from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Exeter, is the lead researcher of this research and says that a slight difference in blood pressure in both arms is normal.
Maureen Talbot, a senior heart disease nurse at the British Heart Foundation, says that this research confirms that the blood pressure of both arms should be checked while checking blood pressure. A difference of 10 millimeters (mm Hg) between systolic and diastolic is normal, but a difference of more than 10 millimeters may indicate a heart problem. Dr. Clarke, the lead researcher of this research, said, 'Whenever the doctor check the patient's blood pressure, do it on both arms.'
To understand the difference in blood pressure of both arms, 3400 patients over 40 years of age were examined at the Massachusetts Hospital in America. These were patients who had no prior symptoms of heart disease. The test found a difference of 5 in systolic blood pressure in one arm and the other, but more than 10 percent of these people found this difference. These people were monitored for 13 years.
Signs of heart attack, heart stroke, and heart disease were found in 38% of people with a difference of more than 10. In hypertensive patients, if the difference in blood pressure of both arms is 10 or more, then they are at risk of a heart attack.
If the difference in BP of both arms is high while measuring blood pressure, then it indicates a blockage in the arteries of the arms. Problems in the peripheral arteries increase the risk of blockages in the heart and brain. Because of this, the risk of heart attack or stroke also increases.
In a research published in the science magazine The Lancet, it has also been said earlier that if there is a big difference between the blood pressure of both hands, then it can lead to vein-related diseases. Due to this the risk of health issues or death increases.
Dr. Clarke recommends that high blood pressure patients who do blood pressure checks at home should follow the advice of their doctors regarding their health.
