Everybody has blood pressure. Without which we cannot survive. It is the high blood pressure (HBP) (hypertension (HTN) which kills silently.
So what is blood pressure? It is the pressure of the blood flowing through our arteries. Just like force of water flowing through water pipes. The flow and pressure in the pipes is created by the water pumping station and the diameter of the pipes. Similarly the blood pressure is created by the heart pumping and the diameter of the arteries.
It is expressed by two numbers: 120/80 millimeter of mercury (mm. Hg). The upper number is the systolic pressure (SBP) created by the heart contracting and lower is the diastolic pressure (DBP) when the heart relaxes.
Hypertension is very common and affects nearly billion people in the world and almost a 30 % of US population (= 100 million). Yet only 70% are aware they have high blood pressure and only half are adequately treated and controlled (= 35 million). High blood pressure is a silent killer and there are no symptoms or signs until stroke, heart attack or kidney failure occurs. Controlling blood pressure is one of the single most effective way to prevent these illnesses.
Blood Pressure, increases with age and almost 80%-90% of people above the age of 85 years have high blood pressure
Normal Blood pressure is 120/80 mm. Blood pressure above 140/90 is defined as high blood pressure (hypertension). See table below for different stage of hypertension.
Recommendations:
Normal BP: check Blood pressure every 2 years
Pre-Hypertension: once every year,
Stage 1: Every 2 months
Stage 2: Every one month and if more than 180/110 it may need to be lowered quickly and your doctor would know what to do.
As the Blood pressure increases above 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, risk of heart and kidney disease, and stroke increases. This is especially true of people with diabetes, obesity, high Cholesterol, smokers, people who do not exercise and men over 55 and women over 65.
Goal of the treatment is to lower BP to less than 140/90 in most and less than 130/80 in diabetics and those with kidney disease. In elderly it is okay to have BP of 150/60. It is helpful to monitor BP at home with a good machine (arm model: ReliOn HEM-741CREL (Walmart $40; wrist model: Omron 7 Series BP652 $60) and if pressure is measured correctly: cuff wrapped snugly over the arm, sitting down with legs uncrossed, BP machine at heart level. 2 readings 5 minutes apart.
So what can you do lower blood pressure?
Without medication: HBP can be lowered by life style changes which are:
Modification |
Recommendation |
Avg. SBP Reduction Range |
Weight Reduction |
Maintain normal body weight BMI 18.5-24.9 |
5-20 mmHg/10 kg |
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH diet)
From USD of HHS. NIH pub # 06-4082 |
Adopt a diet rich in fruits,
Vegetables, low fat dairy
products with reduced
saturated and total fat |
8-14 mmHg |
Aerobic Exercise |
Regular Aerobic physical activity (e.g., brisk walking) at least 30 min./day, most days of the week |
4-9 mmHg |
Diet Sodium reduction |
Reduce dietary sodium intake to <100 mmol per day (2.4 g sodium
or 6 g sodium chloride). |
2-8 mmHg |
With Medications: There are many medications and the best person is your doctor who can prescribe you the appropriate medication. it is dangerous to stop taking medication without explicit knowledge and consent from your doctor. High blood pressure is usually a lifelong disease and your blood pressure needs to be checked at regular interval and will have to take medication for ever. Know the generic and brand name of the medication as well as the strength of the pill usually in milligrams (mg). Take your medication with you when you go to see your doctor. Your doctor cannot identify the pill by shape, size or color.
This article is for educational purposes, always consult your doctor for any medical condition you may have.