What would cause a person to have a different blood presure reading in each arm at the same time?

Question

When I check my blood presure it is consistanly about 28 points higher in my right arm than my left. Has anyone else heard of this and what might be the causes?

Answer 1

As the Aorta rises from the top of your heart, it has a "Bifurcation" (splits so to speak) at a junction called the "Great Vessels". Since your Aorta is more to the left than the right, there is an extra bit of vessel that runs to the right arm. Therefore the distance is greater in length to the right side than the left. Also, being that your Arteries enlarge as your heart beats, there is an added amount of "Peripheral Amplification", which helps to maintain proper blood flow. Therefore your blood pressure will be slightly greater in your right arm than in your left. It has always been the case that because everyone is differant to some extent, some people have a BP that is slightly more or slightly less than the "Text Book" normal, between arms. IO hope this helps you understand a little better! Although, a great differance could be an indicator of vascular problems. Your Physician, who knows you, will let you know for sure though.

Answer 2

It's perfectly normal. There are a series of valves in the blood system which restrict the flow; the path lengths are different, and thus differences will appear even if you measure both pressures at the same time. Of course, if the timing differs (even by seconds), that will cause a change also.

Answer 3

You don't say how old you are, but if you're over 25 and inactive it could be a blockage. See your doctor.

Answer 4

maybe your right arm was placed below your heart level when you measured.