Sign Up Today!

JimJ · 01-02-2005, 11:18 AM

I've always ahd high blood pressure. They ahve finally gotten it to stay in th normal range with a combination of drugs. Being diabetic I have a problem with tingling and such in my legs and feet so I checked my Bp in my legs today.

I was sitting without any of the normal bp raisers(crossed legs and such).

Left arm was 116/86
Right arm was 122/84

Left leg was 182/150
right leg was 220/180

I am taking Lopressor, clondine, and Diltiazem.
Anyone else ever have leg bp's like this or hear of what could cause it? Maybe it's normal. I don't know. I actually was expecting it to be much lower than the arm since the are numb and tingly now.

zuzu8 · 01-02-2005, 12:04 PM

Jim,
I personally have never taken my own leg BP but I know that the systolic # in the legs is supposed to be higher than in arm. Not sure by how much though...Maybe you should check these #s out with your doctor.

BP readings that are lower in the legs than arms are considered abnormal, especially in diabetics, where peripheral artery disease is always a concern.
What kind of cuff did you use by the way? And did you take measurement in your ankle or thigh? Either way, you should be lying down for this,(otherwise there's the possibility of very skewed readings) but you probably have done this before...

zuzu xx

Lenin · 01-02-2005, 01:26 PM

Gee,
I never thought about that. Where do you measure? Like mid-thigh? Are standard arm cuffs BIG enough?

Anyhoo:

Quote:

Normally, the systolic blood pressure in the legs is usually 10% to 20% higher than the brachial artery pressure. Blood pressure readings that are lower in the legs as compared with the upper arms are considered abnormal and should prompt a work-up for peripheral vascular disease.

........from a Doctor Barbara Levin

It seems logical because you are measuring blood in two big hoses (aorta and femoral artery.) Since there is very little flow resistance to deal with I think you're measuring almost the direct ventricular pressure in the heart on systolic.

Jim, yours DOES seem inordinately high.

(Guess what I'LL be trying tonight.)

jtu91952 · 01-02-2005, 04:03 PM

Hi Jim! I am diabetic also and usually i have my dr take my bp in both my legs (ankles) and my arms. I read an article that stated most drs forget to check vital spots so we are to remind them.

I have a difficult time controlling bp at this time.

Aus78 · 01-02-2005, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimJ

I've always ahd high blood pressure. They ahve finally gotten it to stay in th normal range with a combination of drugs. Being diabetic I have a problem with tingling and such in my legs and feet so I checked my Bp in my legs today.

I was sitting without any of the normal bp raisers(crossed legs and such).

Left arm was 116/86
Right arm was 122/84

Left leg was 182/150
right leg was 220/180

I am taking Lopressor, clondine, and Diltiazem.
Anyone else ever have leg bp's like this or hear of what could cause it? Maybe it's normal. I don't know. I actually was expecting it to be much lower than the arm since the are numb and tingly now.

Thats normal.

Palamedes · 01-03-2005, 07:45 AM

I've never heard of taking it in the leg. But, if you are going to do that, you would have to take it at heart level for it to be meaningful. In other words, you'd probably have to be lieing down. The high readings are caused by gravity because you are measuring it way below hear level.

Pal

Lenin · 01-04-2005, 06:47 AM

In the NEVER-NEED-TO-KNOW department:

I've often thought about the gravity effect and finally decided to quantify it, to see if it was trivial or considerable.
So I pulled out a handy-dandy conversion chart from the ether and see that 1 mm.Hg (1 millimeter mercury) is equal in pressire to a column of water .53525 inches high (I think blood and water are similar in density.)
So each inch differencial between cuff and heart should give a 2 mmHg differential in BP reading (higher when the cuff is lower.)

Goodness, that's more than I'd have thought at first blush and a standing BP taken at the leg based on a difference of say 30 inches, would get a reading that is about 60 points higher on the BP meter, due to the effect of gravity alone (all else being equal.)

I guess, to run with the ball, one's numbers would show perhaps 10-20 mmHg lower if one is lying on one's side and the upper arm is measured. I think that was actually done to me in the hospital on occasion. That is a consierable percentage difference, especially on the diastolic.

Like I said: THE NEVER NEED TO KNOW DEPARTMENT

!

Sign Up Today!

Join Our Newsletter

Whoops,

Thank You