When your doctor checks your blood pressure, he probably doesn’t check both arms, but he should

When your doctor checks your blood pressure, he probably doesn’t check both arms, but he should.

For several years, researchers have known that a big difference between systolic pressure in your two arms may mean a higher risk of serious disease.

This double check now appears even more important for patients with high blood pressure.

UK researchers studied 230 patients with high blood pressure. Each patient received three BP tests over 10 years.

Results showed that a wide gap in the systolic reading increases the risk of cardiovascular events. And an inter-arm difference of more than 20 mm Hg indicated the potential for underlying vascular disease.

If you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about this study and ask him to give you a “two-armed” test next time.

Sources:
“The difference in blood pressure readings between arms and survival: primary care cohort study” BMJ, Vol. 344, 3/20/12, bmj.com