Cardiologist explains why you cannot trust this blood pressure test

When it comes to blood pressure, are you cheating and misunderstanding?

An expert claims that reading the blood pressure you get to the doctor’s office is far from a complete or completely correct view of your health.

“I would never admit that a proper estimate of blood pressure is based on a single blood pressure performed in the doctor’s office,” Dr. Stephen Williams, a cardiologist in NYU Langone, for The Post.

He noted that blood pressure most associated with heart attack and stroke is not blood pressure measured in your doctor’s office.

“The most important blood pressure is blood pressure accurately measured at home,” he said.

Normal blood pressure is determined as less than 120 systolic pressure and less than 80 diastolic.

Stage 1 High blood pressure is when the systolic is 130 to 139 or diastolic is 80 to 89. Stage 2 hypertension is systolic blood pressure of 140 or higher and a diastolic pressure of 90 or higher.

The recommended position of the American Heart Association for an accurate reading of blood pressure is flat feet on the floor, back -backed with wings supported on a surface, and cuffs positioned at the middle heart level.

The organization also requires patients to avoid tobacco, caffeine and exercise within 30 minutes before testing.

Williams recommends that all patients prove their blood pressure at home for accurate results.

“This recommendation should make sense because which blood pressure would you believe?” he asked. “A single measure of blood pressure taken during the stress of a visit to the clinic or an average of representative blood pressure over a few days in the place you spend most of your time … your home?”

His advice are in line, or vein, With researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine, who say accurate blood pressure readings depend on proper arm positioning and he regularly diagnose patients with high blood pressure.

Blood pressure discrepancies can result in bad -diagnosticing of hypertension and patients prescribed medicines they do not need, which can create unwanted side effects.

According to disease control and prevention centers, about 61.9 million adults in the US are blood pressure medication.

BMI: Another wrong measure

Williams was fast to emphasize that BMI, or body mass index, is another incorrect, outdated measure of general health.

“You can have a high BMI and be a lean, muscular sport. Or you may have a low BMI and thin wings and legs and have a thick belly,” he said.

“Who is healthier in this example? Senior BMI or Lower BMI person? “

The CDC defines overweight as an index of body mass at least 30. Experts agree that inactivity and overweight are ordinary hypertension culprits.

Instead of relying on BMI data, Williams recommends the Dexa scan, a technology usually reserved for osteoporosis analysis, in combination with VAT software that measures visceral fat tissue in the body.

“BMI is out. Dexa scan with VAT analysis measures the amount of visceral adipose tissue, ”he said.

“This is the fat tissue that is most important for the development of heart disease, stroke, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and hypertension.”

For those who discover that their blood pressure is very high, experts suggest exercising regularly, consuming a nutritional diet, maintaining a healthy weight and getting rid of smoking.

Speaking about smoking, Williams previously shared the usual lifestyle habit that he says is as dangerous to your health as cigarette puffs.