Uncle Liu recently found out that his blood pressure is unstable. Under the doctor’s advice, he measures his blood pressure every day, morning and night. However, he found that the blood pressure measured by himself has a phenomenon, that is, the blood pressure measured by the left and right hands is not the same, and sometimes the difference is relatively large Yes, he felt puzzled, why is there a gap between the two hands? If there is always a gap, which one should prevail? Is it high or low? Or keep one hand fixed and leave the other alone?

As for the doubts of Uncle Liu, it is estimated that many people may have encountered it before. In fact, the problem of measuring blood pressure with two hands is still very particular. Today, let’s understand the reasons for the difference in blood pressure between the left and right hands, and face the gap between the two. How to deal with it!

Why is the blood pressure of the left and right hands different? Normal range of blood pressure difference between hands

Regarding blood pressure, it is estimated that many people do not understand how it is formed. In fact, blood pressure is the pressure caused by blood flowing through the blood vessels and the blood vessel walls. And because the position of the heart is on the left side of the human body, the left hand is closer to the heart, so the blood pressure will be a little higher than the right hand, but there are occasional exceptions. Therefore, for the blood pressure difference between each person’s two hands, it is still necessary to understand through the usual measurement to see which hand has the higher blood pressure. At this time, if the height of one hand is usually high, but suddenly becomes the height of the other hand, it is necessary to find the reason, which may be caused by abnormal blood vessels.

Normally, the blood pressure difference between the two hands is about 5-10mmHg. If you find that the blood pressure difference between your two hands is too large, you need to go to the hospital to check to see if there is any abnormality.

In addition to paying attention to the difference in systolic blood pressure between the two hands, you should also pay more attention to the difference in pulse pressure of the same hand. Generally, the gap between systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure is about 30-40mmHg. If the gap is too large, it means that there is a problem. Be careful that there may be poor elasticity of the blood vessel wall and severe vascular sclerosis, which will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. improve.

The signal that the blood pressure difference between the left and right hands is too large, which means the risk of diseases?

According to a research report in the medical journal The Lancet, a difference in systolic blood pressure of more than 10mmHg between the two arms increases the risk of subclavian artery stenosis or blockage by 8 times; if the difference exceeds 15mmHg, the risk of peripheral vascular disease increases 2 times higher, and the risk of developing cerebrovascular disease or dying from cardiovascular disease is also increased.

From this, it can be found that a large difference in blood pressure between the two hands may be related to the occurrence of vascular lesions, which can be regarded as a signal of the occurrence or deterioration of cardiovascular disease. If you can pay more attention, you can prevent and avoid sudden problems in advance.

Of course, under some special circumstances, it may also cause a large difference in blood pressure between the hands, such as the wrong measurement method. In addition, try to measure blood pressure with both hands, it is easy to find abnormalities. If the blood pressure difference between the two hands is normal, it is best to choose the arm with the higher blood pressure, which is conducive to blood pressure control.

Eight groups of people who need to observe more changes in blood pressure

The early symptoms of many cardiovascular diseases are not obvious, so many health care institutions recommend that people over the age of 18 have their blood pressure measured at least once a year. If you meet the following 8 types of characteristics, you should pay more attention to it from a young age:

1. Over 40 years old

2. Obese, sedentary people

3. People who often smoke and work under pressure

4. People who often eat out for three meals

5. People with a family history of hypertension

6. Postmenopausal women

7. People who have suffered from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction or stroke

8. People with other chronic diseases such as diabetes or kidney disease

How to measure blood pressure correctly? Four point principle

In order to obtain the correct blood pressure value, the following four points can be observed when measuring blood pressure:

(1) The right time

Please sit quietly for 5-10 minutes before the measurement, and wait until you are completely calm before measuring;

Avoid taking measurements at time points when blood pressure is likely to rise, such as after exercise, after bathing, or after meals;

Maintain a fixed measurement time: The two best measurement time points are getting up in the morning and before going to bed, and the future measurement time is also best to be measured twice a day.

(2) Correct posture

The feet are naturally vertical, do not tilt your feet, and do not hold back urine;

Keep your back straight and sit in a chair with a backrest;

Measure the arm flat on the table at the same height as the heart, do not use force on the arm, do not speak, and breathe smoothly.

(3) Correctly use the blood pressure belt

The pulse pressure band is tied on the upper arm, two finger widths away from the cubital fossa;

The direction of the air tube of the pulse pressure belt is towards the palm;

The pulse pressure belt should not be tied too tightly, preferably one finger can be put in, but it should not be too loose.

(4) 722 measurement principles

Measure 7 days a week to form a regular pattern;

Measured twice a day (morning and before bed);

Each time needs to be measured more than two times (each time interval is more than one minute).

In addition to taking accurate and on-time measurements, it is also important to record blood pressure values ​​truthfully. Before going to the hospital for examination, some patients are afraid that their blood pressure will be high, so they will try to measure multiple times, and often choose the one with the lowest blood pressure to inform the doctor. This is a reference medication, resulting in poor blood pressure control.

The second point is that the daily blood pressure measurement at home shall prevail, because some people may have white coat hypertension, and the blood pressure measured in the hospital has a large error.

In addition, if there is relevant recording software, you can also try it, because the blood pressure recorded in this way may form a data chart, and you and your doctor can quickly understand the long-term blood pressure changes through the chart.

The performance of blood pressure is closely related to the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. The blood pressure difference between the left and right hands is also an important reference for judging the physical condition. Therefore, everyone is encouraged to measure the blood pressure of both hands at ordinary times to understand the gap between their blood pressures and keep an eye on their blood pressure changes. It can prevent and avoid the occurrence of cardiovascular disease in advance.