People with normal blood pressure should maintain or adopt a healthy lifestyle to avoid developing high blood pressure in the future. If changes in lifestyle are not effective, there are medications (antihypertensives) that can safely lower blood pressure.
Weight loss, regular exercise, a low-salt diet, and stress relief are all proven ways to lower blood pressure. Methods of Lowering Blood Pressureīlood pressure can be lowered through lifestyle changes and/or medications. A person who repeatedly has high blood pressure readings should be monitored frequently, both in the doctor’s office and at home, and hypertension treatment should be initiated if the pressure remains high during more than two office visits. Some people have higher readings in a doctor’s office because of nervousness others have higher readings at home. Anxiety, caffeine, cigarettes, and some medications can raise blood pressure temporarily. If one reading is high, pressure measurement should be repeated several times before a diagnosis of hypertension is made. Most people have their blood pressure checked during an annual physical or at a community health fair or clinic. It is important to have a blood pressure reading done at least every 2 years after age 18. Many people with high blood pressure are unaware of it because they have no symptoms. If left untreated, it can eventually result in heart attack, stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, or kidney damage.Īn estimated one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure.
High blood pressure puts a strain on the heart, arteries, and kidneys. Low blood pressure is usually not serious, but high blood pressure (hypertension) negatively affects one’s overall health. There are four categories of blood pressure measurements: normal, prehypertension, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension. Importance of Blood Pressure Readingsīlood pressure readings can reveal abnormal pressure in a person without symptoms, as well as help monitor blood pressure control during treatment. When the thumping stops, the diastolic pressure is noted. When the thumping of blood is heard, the systolic pressure is noted on the gauge. The cuff is then slowly deflated, and a stethoscope (not needed with an automatic device) is used to listen to the blood flowing through the artery. The inflated cuff stops the flow of blood through the artery in the arm so that a pulse can be clearly heard. A cuff attached to a gauge is placed above the elbow of one arm and inflated with a hand pump (or if a monitor is used, the cuff inflates automatically). Readings Detect Abnormal Blood Pressure in the Absence of Symptomsīlood pressure readings can be taken manually or with an automatic monitoring device. Regular monitoring of blood pressure is the key, as many people with high blood pressure are unaware of it because they do not have symptoms.
adults may now be classified as having high blood pressure. With the new guidelines, as many as 50% of U.S. The new guidelines, which have been adopted by leading authorities in cardiovascular health, have lowered the acceptable blood pressure threshold that defines hypertension and the risk of heart attack and stroke.
#Blood pressure chart by age and weight and gender update#
Mounting evidence on the dangers of elevated blood pressure has prompted an update to the blood pressure guidelines in the United States.
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