The next time you get your blood pressure taken at the doctor, you might consider asking the nurse to take it in both arms.
A significant difference in the systolic, or top blood pressure reading between the two arms could be a warning sign of a future heart attack or stroke, according to a new meta-analysis of 24 global studies published Monday in the journal Hypertension.
“Patients who require a blood pressure check should now expect that it’s checked in both arms, at least once,” said lead author Dr. Chris Clark, a clinical senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom, in a statement.
Blood pressure is measured in units of millimeters of mercury (abbreviated as mmHg), which consists of two numbers — an upper or systolic reading that represents the maximum amount of pressure in your arteries, and the lower or diastolic reading that shows the pressure in your arteries when your heart muscle is at rest between beats.
