When hypertension is a fatal diagnosis
In a country plagued by high blood pressure, black people are more likely to suffer from it. A year-long project by The Associated Press found that from birth to death, black Americans are more likely to get sick and die from common illnesses. (May 23) (AP Video: Noreen Nasir)
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The holiday season also features traditional dishes such as ham, stuffing, gravy, and green bean casserole.
Tasty foods are often high in sodium, so for the 120 million adults in the U.S. who manage high blood pressure, this holiday is a great time to take extra precautions to maintain normal levels. This is a good time to monitor yourself.
The problem for people with hypertension is getting accurate readings.
Research shows that blood pressure readings are not always accurate or consistent outside of a medical setting. Measurements vary widely depending on who takes the measurements, when and where they are taken, and the type of medical equipment used.
Discrepancies in measurement values may also occur in medical settings.
Unreliable readings can have life-threatening consequences for patients trying to manage high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death in this country.
“We’ve been far too casual about how we measure blood pressure at home and in the office,” says cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz, director of the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. “We need to remove some of this noise in our measurements.”
blood pressure measurement
Blood pressure is measured using two numbers.
Systolic blood pressure is the highest number and measures the pressure in your arteries as your heart beats, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart is at rest between beats.
Patients can get different measurements from different providers, depending on the monitor they use and how they use it.
A March study through the Yale New Haven Health System looked at 7.7 million blood pressure readings in more than 530,000 adults and found wide variation in readings. The average difference in readings per patient is about 12 mm Hg, which is the difference between elevated blood pressure and stage 2 hypertension.
In extremely hypertensive patients with systolic blood pressure >180 mm Hg, individual readings were more variable, averaging 32.3 mm Hg. According to a study published in the journal Circulationthe official journal of the American Heart Association.
Experts say the lack of consistency is a result of clinicians measuring blood pressure in different ways. You may also use a monitor with a wrist cuff rather than an arm cuff. Some people place the cuff over the patient’s clothing rather than on the bare arm. All of these things can affect blood pressure readings, Krumholz says.
“We should all be measuring the same way, like testing, and not just doing this clinic doing this, this clinic doing that, and that’s what’s happening right now. ,” Professor Krumholz said. Author of the Yale University study.
Even small issues like where and how the person being measured sits can affect blood pressure readings. A study in September revealed that Blood pressure measurements taken with the patient seated on the examination table were up to 7 mm Hg higher systolic and 4.5 mm Hg diastolic compared to measurements taken with the patient seated in the chair.
Study author Dr. Randy Wexler, a family physician at Ohio State University Wexner Medical, said inaccurate readings could be the difference between hypertensive patients who need medication and those who can be treated with non-drug interventions. He said there is.center.
There are also real concerns about overdiagnosing people with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, when the problem is not really serious.
“You’re labeling someone who has a disease process that they don’t have, and that’s going to have a potential impact on them,” he said.
What is the best way to measure blood pressure?
Although almost anything can affect a person’s blood pressure, AHA guidelines recommend the following steps to get the most accurate readings.
- Do not smoke, drink caffeinated beverages, or exercise for 30 minutes before your measurement.
- Relax for 5 minutes before your measurement
- Make sure your bladder is empty and your blood pressure machine is calibrated according to its instructions.
- Use a cuff that fits your bare arm and do not measure over clothing.
- Sit in an upright position with your back supported, feet flat on the floor, and arms supported at heart level on a table or stool.
- Please do not talk during measurement
Experts also recommend using blood pressure monitors such as: Approved by the American Medical Association.
For patients who measure their blood pressure at home, consistency is important to monitor for changes, Krumholz said. Measure your blood pressure at the same time and in the same environment every day, whether you’re sitting down first thing in the morning or standing up just before bed. If possible, take multiple measurements and calculate the average.
What is high blood pressure?
The American College of Cardiology and AHA issued new guidelines for blood pressure management in 2017, defining hypertension as a blood pressure reading of 130/80 mm Hg or higher.
The CDC states that stage 2 hypertension is defined as a blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher.
High blood pressure puts patients at risk for heart disease and stroke, the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2021, hypertension was a leading or contributing cause of approximately 700,000 deaths in the United States.
Send tips to Adrianna Rodriguez: adrodriguez@usatoday.com
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