Differences in blood pressure measurements on both arms can be harmful to health

Exeter: Research on thousands of people in many countries around the world has revealed that if there is a clear and permanent difference in blood pressure taken from both arms, the risk of heart attack and stroke may increase in this man and woman.

In this regard, the University of Exeter has re-examined a survey of 54,000 patients conducted in 24 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and the United States under the global INTERPRESS-IPD collaboration, called a meta-study. The study was conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Research and is published in the journal Hypertension.

The research concludes that the greater the blood pressure difference between the two arms and the more permanent it is, the greater the risk to the patient. For this reason, the tendency to take blood pressure from both arms is being emphasized. Although some experts have emphasized this before, it has now been requested to pay special attention to it.
The study was conducted over a period of ten years and looked at patients with excessive differences in both arms, particularly heart attack, heart disease and stroke. Dr. Chris Clark of Exeter Medical School is leading the study and now wants to make it a habit to take blood pressure from both arms.

“Research has already shown that the difference in blood pressure between the two arms indicates a health problem, and we’ve looked at it in more detail,” he said. He says that if the 15mm Hg difference in the readings of both arms becomes constant, the risk of heart attack increases. In this way any future patient can be warned in advance.

Experts also say that 11% of people with a blood pressure difference of 10 mmHg in both arms have already been diagnosed with high blood pressure.