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SALT LAKE CITY — A recent study out of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in the UK advises doctors to take a patient's blood pressure in both arms to make sure he or she gets the right blood pressure reading. The doctors who conducted the study say finding a different blood pressure on each arm could be a sign of vascular problems.
The findings of this study could be very helpful to patients with vascular disease, but there are many other reasons you should check your blood pressure often.
What is your blood pressure?
In simplest terms, blood pressure is a measurement to show whether your blood circulation is flowing correctly. Normal blood pressure is 120/80.
If the top number of your blood pressure, or systolic pressure, of is higher than 120, it means your arteries have pressure against them during the time your heart contracts. Medical professionals become concerned when the systolic pressure is over 155. We worry about vessel damage, which can lead to heart disease, stroke, vascular damage, kidney disease, etc.
If the bottom number of your blood pressure, or diastolic pressure, is higher than 80, it means your heart and blood vessels are not resting at the pressure they should be. Medical professionals become concerned when your diastolic pressure is greater than 90. This means there is constant pressure on your vessels, and it can also lead to stroke, heart disease, vascular damage, etc.
What causes high blood pressure?
In many cases, high blood pressure is heredity driven. If you know it runs in your family, get your blood pressure checked and treated.
In other cases, high blood pressure is due to lifestyle choices, like smoking, being overweight, lack of exercise, having a high-salt and high-fat diet, etc. When you seek medical help, the first thing we ask is for you to change things in your lifestyle. That may be all you need to do to lower your blood pressure.
Accurately measuring your blood pressure
What is most concerning to me is most people do not know they have high blood pressure. Some people have blood pressure machines at home, but those machines could be measuring your blood pressure incorrectly. They need to be calibrated on a regular basis in order to give correct readings.
Ask Nurse Suzy
Do you have a question for Nurse Suzy, or maybe a topic you'd like her opinion on? Email her at <a href="mailto:nursesuzyksl@gmail.com">nursesuzyksl@gmail.com</a>.
Other people rely solely on free machines found in stores to check their blood pressure, but these also have a problem with accuracy. In stores, there is no regulation to monitor calibrations of these machines.
A manual blood pressure is the most accurate, and yes it needs to be done on both arms. For step-by-step instructions on how to do a manual blood pressure check, visit mayoclinic.com.
Another important point to make is you need to have the right size blood pressure cuff. When using too small or too large a cuff, the person taking the patient's blood pressure will not get accurate readings. If the blood pressure cuff is too small, it will give you a falsely high reading; if the cuff is too large, it will give you a falsely low reading.
Some people have too large of arms to get a blood pressure cuff around, or have had surgery that does not allow blood pressure to be taken on a certain limb. In these cases, nurses will sometimes take the patient's blood pressure on his or her lower leg. This is not as accurate as an arm reading, but it does give us the information we need.
With the economy as it is, I understand that money is tight in most families. If you have a concern but cannot afford to visit the doctor, please look for free health fairs to get your blood pressure checked by medical professionals with the right equipment.
Suzanne Carlile, "Nurse Suzy," has been a nurse since 1982. Her main focus is critical care and nursing education. She holds a master's degree in nursing, is a Certified Emergency Nurse, and a member of NNSDO Intermountain West Chapter.
