Lea en español The last time your blood pressure was measured, did you rush to the appointment while sipping coffee? Were you perched on an exam table with your legs dangling or your arm hanging? Were you chatting with a medical staff member or scrolling social media on your phone? Was your bladder full? Any of these actions could throw off your blood pressure reading – in some cases, by as much as 33 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). That could leave you and your doctor unable to determine if you need treatment or whether any current treatment is working. "The measurement of blood pressure is probably the most taken-for-granted measurement done across any clinical environment," said Dr.
Shawna Nesbitt, medical director at Parkland Health's Hypertension Clinic and a professor in the department of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, both in Dallas. But not enough attention is paid to its validity on a day-to-day basis, she said. "I think the routineness of it is why it is taken for granted – and basically done wrong probably 60, 70% of the time.
" Blood pressure is considered high in a teen or adult when the systolic (top number) is at least 130 mmHg, or the diastolic (bottom number) is 80 mmHg or more. Blood pressure guidelines issued by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology call for, among other things, readings to be taken with the patient seated in a chair with feet flat on the floor, their back supported and their upper arm c.
