{"id":4622,"date":"2025-06-27T10:19:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T10:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=4622"},"modified":"2025-06-27T10:20:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T10:20:34","slug":"new-ankle-blood-pressure-method-offers-accurate-readings-for-thousands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=4622","title":{"rendered":"New Ankle Blood Pressure Method Offers Accurate Readings for Thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Researchers from the University of Exeter Medical School have developed a groundbreaking method to estimate arm blood pressure from ankle measurements, addressing a critical need for individuals unable to use traditional arm cuffs. Published in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1136\/bmjopen-2024-094389\"><em>BMJ Open,<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0<\/em>the study analyzed data from over 33,000 people worldwide to create a personalized predictive model. This innovation could prevent thousands of misdiagnoses annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High blood pressure affects over a billion people globally and is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. While arm measurements are standard, conditions like limb loss or stroke-related paralysis make this impossible for some patients. Ankle readings often yield higher values, complicating accurate diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Exeter team\u2019s model, based on data from 33,710 individuals (mean age 58, 45% female), improves accuracy by 2%, equating to 750 fewer misdiagnoses yearly in England alone. Professor Chris Clark, the lead researcher, emphasized its broader impact: &#8220;For the 10,000 UK adults with upper limb loss or stroke survivors with arm dysfunction, this method restores equitable access to vital health monitoring.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An accompanying online calculator (ABLE-BP Tool) helps clinicians and patients interpret ankle readings reliably. The study was supported by the Stroke Association and Thalidomide Trust. Juliet Bouverie OBE of the Stroke Association noted its dual benefit: &#8220;Accurate ankle readings ease anxiety for survivors and improve stroke prevention.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Professor Kevin Munro (NIHR):<\/strong>\u00a0&#8220;This ingenious solution ensures more people can monitor blood pressure\u2014a cornerstone of preventive care.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sue Kent (Thalidomide survivor):<\/strong>\u00a0&#8220;This levels the playing field. No one should guess when it comes to health.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The new method tackles health inequalities by providing precise blood pressure assessments for underserved populations. Future steps include wider adoption of the calculator and further research into long-term health outcomes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers from the University of Exeter Medical School have developed a groundbreaking method to estimate arm blood pressure from ankle measurements, addressing a critical need for individuals unable to use traditional arm cuffs. Published in\u00a0BMJ Open,\u00a0the study analyzed data from over 33,000 people worldwide to create a personalized predictive model. This innovation could prevent thousands [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1565],"tags":[2064,1566],"class_list":["post-4622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-medicine","tag-ankle-blood-pressure","tag-health-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4622"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4625,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4622\/revisions\/4625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}