Taking blood pressure -- no laughing matter!
BACKGROUND
Humour is used commonly to relax subjects when their blood pressure is being measured. However the short-term effect of laughter on blood pressure is not described.


METHODS
Sixteen normotensive volunteers had blood pressure measured using a validated automated oscillometric sphygmomanometric device (Omron 705 CP) as control and during three episodes of laughter while viewing a humorous sit-com video.


RESULTS
Blood pressure was stable in the control period. There was a significant rise (P<0.01) in systolic blood pressure from 115 mmHg (108-121, mean 95% confidence interval) to 127 mmHg (120-135) during laughing. The increase in diastolic pressure 71 (67-74) to 73 (69-77) mmHg was not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Laughing has an acute effect on systolic blood pressure. Patients should not be encouraged to laugh when their blood pressure is being measured.
McMahon
Colm
C
Department of Therapeutics and Hypertension Clinic, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Mahmud
Azra
A
Feely
John
J
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis; D007845:Laughter / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results