A study from concluded that older adults with daily fluctuations in blood pressure were more likely to develop dementia. Healthy lifestyle choices, and in some cases medication, can resolve fluctuations in blood pressure. A person should have their blood pressure checked regularly, and seek treatment for any conditions that may affect it. While fluctuations in blood pressure can be dangerous, medications and lifestyle changes can manage the situation. After a doctor determines the cause of changing blood pressure, they will help develop a treatment plan.
It is common to have your blood pressure checked at the doctor's office, but there are many cases where it is important to monitor it at home. It is…. Hypotension, or low blood pressure, can stem from a number of causes. Severe hypotension may indicate an underlying condition that needs treatment.
When a person's blood pressure is low enough to cause symptoms, it can have serious health consequences, including shock and kidney failure. People sometimes call high blood pressure the silent killer because it often has no symptoms, but it can lead to life threatening complications. Hypertension or high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, and death and is a major global health concern.
A range of risk factors may…. The standard reference level for measurement of blood pressure by any technique — direct or indirect — is at the level of the heart. When using a cuff, the arm or leg where the cuff is applied must be at mid-heart level.
Measuring BP in an extremity positioned above heart level will provide a falsely low BP whereas falsely high readings will be obtained whenever a limb is positioned below heart level. Errors can be significant — typically 2 mmHg for each inch the extremity is above or below heart level.
Patients lying on their side, or in other positions, can pose problems for accurate pressure measurement. To correctly assess BP in a side lying patient, hold the BP cuff extremity at mid heart level while taking the pressure. Arterial pressure transducers are subject to similar inaccuracies when the transducer is not positioned at mid-heart level. This location, referred to as the phlebostatic axis, is located at the intersection of the fourth intercostal space and mid-chest level halfway between the anterior and posterior chest surfaces.
Note that the mid-axillary line is often not at mid-chest level in patients with kyphosis or COPD, and therefore should not be used as a landmark.
Incorrect leveling is the primary source of error in direct pressure measurement with each inch the transducer is misleveled causing a 1. When above the phlebostatic axis, reported values will be lower than actual; when below the phlebostatic axis, reported values will be higher than actual. The standard for blood pressure cuff placement is the upper arm using a cuff on bare skin with a stethoscope placed at the elbow fold over the brachial artery.
The patient should be sitting, with the arm supported at mid heart level, legs uncrossed, and not talking. Measurements can be made at other locations such as the wrist, fingers, feet, and calves but will produce varied readings depending on distance from the heart. The mean pressure, interestingly, varies little between the aorta and peripheral arteries, while the systolic pressure increases and the diastolic decreases in the more distal vessels.
Crossing the legs increases systolic blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. About 20 percent of the population has differences of more than 10 mmHg pressure between the right and left arms. In cases where significant differences are observed, treatment decisions should be based on the higher of the two pressures. Prejudice for normal readings significantly contributes to inaccuracies in blood pressure measurement.
Orthostatic hypotension is defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 20 mm Hg or more, or diastolic blood pressure decrease of 10 mm Hg or more measured after three minutes of standing quietly. There are circumstances when BP measurement is simply not possible. For many years, trauma resuscitation guidelines taught that rough estimates of systolic BP SBP could be made by assessing pulses.
Improper placement of the cuff over clothing can cause your blood pressure measurement to increase 10 to 50 points. If the cuff is too small, it can add 2 to 10 points your reading. Be sure to roll up your sleeve for a blood pressure test and also let your doctor know if the cuff feels too tight around your arm. Right after eating a meal, your blood pressure will often read lower than normal because digesting food actually lowers your blood pressure. If you are taking your blood pressure at home, your doctor will usually recommend that you take your blood pressure test in the morning before eating or wait thirty minutes after a meal.
Not eating enough or fasting can also cause an inaccurate reading. Your diet can play a big role in managing your high blood pressure. To exercise long-term hypertension treatment, be sure to eat whole foods that are proven to lower high blood pressure. Consumption of alcohol, caffeine and tobacco cause your blood pressure to immediately rise.
Avoid alcohol, caffeine and smoking at least 30 minutes before your blood pressure test to ensure an accurate reading. They should also talk with their family doctor about stress , heart or kidney disease, family history of high blood pressure and any other potential contributing factor. By working together, you can bring your blood pressure under control. If your blood pressure varies widely, it could be labile hypertension. Our expert explains this condition and what treatments are available to get it under control.
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