BACKGROUND
More than 100 years ago, the difference in blood pressure (BP) between arms was first reported. Recent studies have shown that different blood pressure between the right and left arm leads to cardiovascular events in the future.
OBJECTIVE
To establish the prevalence of an inter-arm blood pressure difference (IAD) and the dominant hands effect on the elevation blood pressure in young healthy population.
METHODS
This was a mixed research design, using a cross-sectional design; 3030 young, healthy participants, aged 15-40 years. BP was measured twice by both mercury sphygmomanometer and electronic simultaneously on both arms. has been carried out at Sulaimaniyah governorate/Kurdistan Region, Iraq, during the period 13th May 2019 to 22nd February 2020
RESULTS
Three thousand and thirty volunteers participated in our study {1377 (45.4%) male, 1653 (54.6%) female, mean age 19.56 ± 5.14 years old, mean BMI 22.37 ± 3.83} all were young and healthy. The sIABP was equal in 163 persons (5.37%), dIABP was equal in 222 (7.32%),The sIAD > 10 mmHg (26.13 %),and dIAD > or =10 mmHg was found in 927 (33.53%) in the right arm, and 32.4% in the left arm. 288 (9.50%) were current smokers, 290 (9.6%) were smoking hookah Most had IAD above 30% of their IAD was above 10 mmHg (P-value = 0.000). In 2692 volunteers, BP, initially recorded in the dominant hand (right arm), showed sIAD> or = 10 mmHg in 943 (37.12%) volunteers, and when first measurement was done in 338 left-handed volunteers it showed sIAD> or = 10 mmHg in 112 (34.14%), P < 0.001.
CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that significant inter-arm systolic and diastolic BP differences above (10 mm Hg) is common in the young, healthy population. Hand dominance is a significant consideration while measuring blood pressure. It is mandatory to measure blood pressure in both arms in a sitting position with a stable condition.
The Future Alert of Inter-Arm Blood Pressure Difference Among Young Healthy Population: A Cross-Sectional Study. (Preprint)
