Millions of Americans may be getting incorrect blood pressure readings at home simply because the cuff on their monitor doesn’t fit their arm properly.
This surprising and serious problem was revealed in a new study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Home blood pressure monitors are popular because they are easy to use and affordable. But most of these devices come with only one standard cuff size, which may not work well for everyone—especially for people with larger or smaller arms.
According to the study, published in the journal Hypertension, an estimated 17.3 million U.S. adults may be affected by this issue.
Researchers looked at health data from national surveys and found that 6.7% of American adults have arm sizes that don’t fit standard cuffs. Most of these people—around 16.5 million—have arms that are too large for the cuffs, while a smaller number have arms that are too small.
This issue is especially common among Black adults. Nearly 12% of Black adults have arm sizes that fall outside the standard cuff range. This is very concerning because Black adults are already more likely to have high blood pressure than other groups.
Dr. Kunihiro Matsushita, the senior author of the study, says this is a big problem. He believes that stores should offer a range of cuff sizes without making people pay extra. “Consumers should be able to buy the blood pressure cuff sizes they need, just like they buy the clothing sizes they need,” he said.
Getting accurate blood pressure readings is very important. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, happens when the reading is regularly above 130/80 mmHg. It can lead to serious health issues like heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and even dementia.
If the cuff doesn’t fit right, the readings might be too high or too low. This means people could be misdiagnosed or not treated properly.
To better understand the problem, the researchers reviewed 16 popular home blood pressure devices and compared their cuff sizes to the arm measurements of 13,826 adults.
Most cuffs were made to fit arm sizes between 22 and 42 centimeters (8.6 to 16.5 inches). But 6.4% of adults had arms larger than this range, and 0.3% had smaller arms.
The study also found that high blood pressure is more common among Black adults. About 57.1% of Black adults have hypertension, compared to 43.6% of white adults and 43.7% of Hispanic adults.
This means that many Black Americans could be using cuffs that don’t fit properly, making it even harder to manage a health condition they are already more likely to have.
Some devices do offer extra cuff sizes, but they are often sold separately and can be expensive. The researchers say that manufacturers should include multiple cuff sizes in the box, so everyone can monitor their health accurately and safely.
Even a small change in the size range of cuffs could help millions of people get better readings. This would make it easier for them to track their blood pressure at home and take the right steps to stay healthy.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about common blood pressure medication that may extend your healthy life span and common high blood pressure drug linked to sudden cardiac arrest.
For more about blood pressure, please read studies that timing matters when taking high blood pressure pills and 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure taking a drug worsen the disease.
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