Be Careful of 'This Posture' When Measuring Blood Pressure... It May Lead to Misclassification as Hypertension

Both Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure Spike
May Be Misclassified as Hypertension

A study has revealed that blood pressure readings can be inaccurate due to 'sitting posture,' drawing significant attention. The scientists leading the research emphasize the importance of sitting properly in front of the blood pressure monitor.

Dr. Randy Wexler and his research team from the Ohio State University College of Medicine conducted an experiment involving 150 adults and disclosed these findings. The results of Dr. Wexler's team were published on the 11th (local time) in the academic journal 'Medical Express.'

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The research team conducted the experiment on adults aged 18 and over, with arm circumferences between 18 and 42 cm, and who had no history of height or atrial fibrillation diagnoses.

First, the team randomly divided the participants into three groups and measured their blood pressure in an outpatient hospital setting. Group A (48 people) first sat on a chair with a fixed-height desk to measure blood pressure, then sat on a chair with adjustable posture to fit the patient's physique and measured blood pressure again.

Group B (49 people) reversed the order, measuring blood pressure first on the chair with adjustable posture and then on the fixed-height desk chair.

The last group, Group C (53 people), measured blood pressure twice while sitting on the chair with adjustable height.

The experiment showed that when measured on the fixed-height desk chair, systolic blood pressure was on average 7 mmHg higher, and diastolic blood pressure was on average 4.5 mmHg higher than when measured on the chair with adjustable sitting height.

In other words, if sitting posture is not adjusted according to one's height, blood pressure can be artificially elevated. Moreover, the difference was large enough to significantly affect overall blood pressure measurement results.

The research team said, "We were surprised by how large the difference was," and warned, "Such a difference could misclassify people with normal blood pressure as hypertensive." If a person with normal blood pressure is mistakenly diagnosed with hypertension and prescribed blood pressure medication, hypotension may occur.

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend that when measuring blood pressure, one should sit on a chair with feet flat on the floor, back resting against the chair backrest, and ensure that the arm with the blood pressure cuff is at heart level.

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