Fitness Files: Diagnosed with high blood pressure? Make sure it wasn’t a misreading

I like to scroll through the online People’s Pharmacy, by Joe and Terry Graedon.

Just this week, I took out a big fat rosacea bump on my nose with the People’s Pharmacy recommendation: vinegar! It worked where Metrogel didn’t — or maybe it was just time for the bump to subside. However, I can’t deny it. The rosacea acne diminished when I started applying vinegar.

Went though the current People’s Pharmacy email and stopped to read, “Can You Trust Your Blood Pressure Measurements?” Read it twice. Here was something I wanted to share.

Everybody knows about exam-room blood pressure reaction, right? The doctor walks into the room, symbolizing an authority figure who has power over our survival. We wonder, “What’s the doctor gonna do to me or tell me?”

What follows is a nervous tic of elevated blood pressure called “white coat hypertension,” when a patient with normal blood pressure (120/80) can have office readings as high as 180/110, the site says.

What I did not know is that the blood pressure cuff is a source of common error. The People’s Pharmacy quotes the Journal of Human Hypertension in stating that cuff must match arm size. A cuff too small can result in a high reading.

The Journal asks, “When is the last time your doctor measured your arm circumference and selected a cuff designed for your sized arm?” Just called my primary care physician, whose nurse said they use three sizes, pediatric, regular and large. They’ve never measured my arm, but I deduce they eyeball the size.

The second cause of misreading occurs when the medical professional interviews the patient while the cuff is on, or engages in small talk. The People’s Pharmacy cites research that says blood pressure reading during conversation can have “a profound impact on the outcome. In some cases, [raising the reading] higher than (20) points, resulting in a false hypertension diagnosis.”

The third cause of misdiagnosis is arm position. The American Heart Assn. directs that “the patient’s arm should be supported at heart level.” If the arm hangs down lower, “the reading is likely to be falsely elevated.” And, according to the People’s Pharmacy, “If you think this fundamental recommendation is always followed, you would be wrong.” Most chairs in exam rooms do not have an arm rest at heart level.

Here my otherwise excellent primary care physician fails the test. I just called to be sure my memory was correct. Nurse confirms: There’s just a chair, no arm rest.

The last potential problem is a cold exam room, which can cause blood pressure to rise 10 points, the web site says.

So what?

Here’s what: The People’s Pharmacy says false readings of higher than actual blood pressure can lead to unnecessary medication. Drugs can have side effects, like dizziness, fatigue, impotence, cough and swollen feet, it says.

A false-negative reading, meanwhile, can result in under-treatment that puts people at risk of heart attacks, strokes or kidney disease, the site says.

As always, the degree to which we take charge of our own health is the key. Purchase a reliable over-the-counter blood pressure monitor and read the directions. Next doctor visit, hand your doctor a record of a month’s readings.

I’m relieved that my fiery red rosacea acne’s gone, but I’m not sure what extinguished it. However, I’m confident that keeping home blood pressure readings subtracts from doctor’s office miscues and contributes to a true picture of health.

Newport Beach resident CARRIE LUGER SLAYBACK is a retired teacher who, since turning 70, has ran the Los Angeles Marathon, placing first in her age group twice.