Numerous Elements Affect Blood Pressure Measurements: Study
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New York, Dec 18 (NationPress) Frequently, patients, alongside nurses and physicians, are bypassing essential steps that contribute to an accurate assessment of an individual's blood pressure. Factors such as the patient's seating posture and arm positioning, recent consumption of coffee, or engaging in conversation with the healthcare provider during the measurement can lead to readings that are either higher or lower than the standard blood pressure levels.
To truly enhance cardiovascular health, we must accurately screen and treat individuals for hypertension, emphasized Tammy Brady, a pediatric nephrologist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, who investigates blood pressure measurement and cardiovascular health in both children and adults, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Obtaining an accurate reading is crucial for preventing serious health issues such as heart attacks, strokes, and other potentially life-threatening conditions, noted the newspaper, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
What is essential for achieving the correct reading? Patients should sit with both feet flat on the ground, legs uncrossed, back straight, and their arm supported on a surface or table, according to guidelines provided by the American Heart Association and other health organizations.
The cuff must be placed over the bare arm at heart level. Patients should refrain from talking or using their phones during the measurement, and their bladder should be empty. Additionally, it is recommended to take blood pressure readings multiple times while seated, as stated in the report.
Moreover, last month, research published by experts from an international collaborative effort led by the University of Sydney and University College London suggested that engaging in just five minutes of physical activity, such as walking uphill or climbing stairs, daily could contribute to lowering blood pressure.
According to the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep (ProPASS) Consortium study, replacing sedentary behavior with 20-27 minutes of exercise daily may lead to a clinically significant decrease in blood pressure.
High blood pressure is considered one of the most significant health challenges worldwide. However, unlike some major causes of cardiovascular mortality, there are relatively accessible methods to address this issue, in addition to medication, stated Emmanuel Stamatakis, joint senior author and Director of the ProPASS Consortium from the University of Sydney.
The discovery that even five extra minutes of exercise daily could be linked to lower blood pressure readings underscores the effectiveness of short bursts of higher intensity activity in managing blood pressure.
The research team analyzed data from 14,761 participants to explore the relationship between substituting one type of movement for another and blood pressure levels.
The team estimated that swapping sedentary activities with a minimum of 20 minutes of daily exercise could lead to a 28 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease incidence.
The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1.28 billion adults aged 30 to 79 globally have hypertension, which is characterized by consistently elevated blood pressure, and that 46 percent of adults with hypertension are unaware of their condition.
