Blood pressure 160/92 - should I be worried?

[Jon_in_london]

The nurse says its not very high and doesnt neccesitate treatment. What do the medical gurus on this forum opine?

[Lisa Simpson]

I have been reading a book called "You The Owner's Manual" and the authors opine that 115/76 is ideal.

The ideal blood pressure is 115/76 established in fifty six studies and fifty two countries and over twenty million people. It is the same in New Delhi as it is in Chicago as it is in Tokyo. A lower blood pressure does not add much to your rate of aging, but higher numbers aren't good--over 50 percent of heart attacks can be attributed to a blood pressure between 125/80 and 140/90.

I was curious about this. Is this really true?

[Deetee]

Relax.
It is slightly high, but BP is variable depending on circumstances.
Have it taken a few times more, perhaps over a 15-20 min period with you lying down relaxing.
How old are you?

[hgc]

If an Internet forum is your first and last stop for medical advice, you should really worry. But seriously...

Hypertension will kill you, and you won't have any symptoms right up until the point some years down the road when you have a massive stroke. It is easily treated with medication, if weight loss and excercise don't do the trick.

See a doctor right away. Hopefully it was just a faulty reading, or one merely taken at a moment of stress.

[Jon_in_london]

Relax.
It is slightly high, but BP is variable depending on circumstances.
Have it taken a few times more, perhaps over a 15-20 min period with you lying down relaxing.
How old are you?

29

And I'm giving up smoking, which doesNT NECCESARILY MEAN IM STRESSED!!! :a2:

[Tanja]

Did you have your pressure taken just once, or several times over several days? I have heard from people who have high blood pressure (including my father who is 71 and a friend who is 31) that it varies hugely.
The friend who is 31 took up rowing, lost a lot of weight, and his blood pressure is now back to normal range.

[Piscivore]

My untreated BP is 180/130. On my meds it's 140/100.

[Arkan_Wolfshade]

I sit at ~120/80. Seems like yours has quite a high spread between systolic and diastolic.

[Jon_in_london]

It was a single reading - but the teeth-grinding stress of not smoking together with massive doses of nicotine gum are probably responsible.

I'll get it check again in a month and see what its like.

[Jon_in_london]

Seems like yours has quite a high spread between systolic and diastolic.

What does that signify? Is one more important than t'other?

[Lisa Simpson]

Here's some info on the numbers. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/hbp/whathbp.htm

[cgordon]

Back when I was working in the medical field (EMT and later respiratory therapist) a rule of thumb was: Systolic should be about age+100 and diastolic should be less than 80.

Recent AHA standards drop the baseline a bit, but I'm not entirely sure I agree completely, but heck, I've been out of the field for a long time.

Look here: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3027043 for current standards.

Cut out the salt and fat, quitting the ciggies is a good move, get some regular exercise ... you know the drill.

[Diamond]

You could also be "white-coat hypertensive"

[brodski]

Jon, you've just been looking at london property prices. expect high blood pressure!

ETA- watch out, any minute Iamme will be along offering his medical "advice", I think coral calcium may be on the cards. ;)

[MRC_Hans]

Basically, your BP should be as low as it can get without giving you nasty symptoms (like passing out whenever you get up from sitting and specially crouching position).

If you are 29 and have 160/92, it is to high, although not acutely alarming. Could you reasonably loose a few pounds? And exercise some more? If yes, combined with quitting smoking, which you have already done (cherio, way to go :) !), you could be fine without meds for decades to come.

Hans

[blutoski]

Basically, your BP should be as low as it can get without giving you nasty symptoms (like passing out whenever you get up from sitting and specially crouching position).

And you can go pretty low without negative consequences. My wife gets her friends to test my bp as a joke, and they always do it a few times because they think there's been a mistake. I'm usually around 85/60 ish.

The only consequence I'm aware of is that I can't donate blood.

[Jon_in_london]

Could you reasonably loose a few pounds?

Funny you should say that! Just the other day I lost a 10 pound note! :p

Yes, I score quite highly in the fat-bastard-drinks-too-much-beer-eats-too-much-fatty-red-meat index.

[ranson]

And you can go pretty low without negative consequences. My wife gets her friends to test my bp as a joke, and they always do it a few times because they think there's been a mistake. I'm usually around 85/60 ish.

The only consequence I'm aware of is that I can't donate blood.

My mother had a BP that hovered at those numbers and lower ( and this with smoking two packs a day and drinking a pot or two of coffee). One of my father's worst fears was that she'd be in an accident and unconscious, and would get treated for shock without actually needing it. On a more amusing note, she liked to confound the techs at free screening stations, because her BP was close to undetectable. One nurse at the state fair asked my mother, "Are you sure you're alive?"

[ernon]

....with massive doses of nicotine gum are probably responsible.

I'll get it check again in a month and see what its like.

If you truly mean 'massive' that could very well be the problem.

Ernon

[a_unique_person]

Funny you should say that! Just the other day I lost a 10 pound note! :p

Yes, I score quite highly in the fat-bastard-drinks-too-much-beer-eats-too-much-fatty-red-meat index.
I am on medication for a similar level, but I am older.

It can be a one off due to stress, but definitely follow it up.

It is something you should keep an eye on, and go to another doctor to see if they agree with the first one that it is nothing. My doctor wouldn't, but the ones you are seeing are the ones who know all the facts, not us.

If you aren't leading a healthy lifestyle, your body may be telling you it's time to consider doing so. That you are giving up the fags indicates you already suspect as much.

IIRC, a bigger difference between top and bottom indicates the top is more likely to be a temporary aberration.

But I am not a doctor, so don't ask me.

[Pyrrho]

The nurse says its not very high and doesnt neccesitate treatment. What do the medical gurus on this forum opine?
For medical questions, consult a doctor, not people on a message board.

[a_unique_person]

For medical questions, consult a doctor, not people on a message board.

It sounds like he did, and is not happy with answer. As I said, go to another doctor, and see what he thinks.

[Dr. Imago]

The nurse says its not very high and doesnt neccesitate treatment. What do the medical gurus on this forum opine?

Nurses are not doctors for a reason.

-Dr. Imago

[Dr. Imago]

My untreated BP is 180/130. On my meds it's 140/100.

Hmmmm... maybe time to have that re-assessed too.

[jj]

Well, off meds mine was about 145/90, and the doctor was very, very upset. On very very light meds (alpha blocker) it's 120/70, I can exercise a lot more, and there is no downside that I've yet identified in a year.

Moral: Throat infections can be "real bad news".

[Jeff Corey]

Everybody who said that this is not the place to get medical advice is a good skeptic. The links to the new guidelines were valuable, since the dangerous levels have been recently evalualuated and found to be lower than before.
The "white coat effect" appears to be real, in that your BP is likely to be higher than usual when being evaluated by medical personnel.
But I had 165 /115 3 years ago and I've been on 50 mg of Cozaar a day since. Down to 116/72. Age 66.
Cut way down on cigs, take a hit off my wife's Marboros just to make her feel guilty.

[a_unique_person]

But I had 165 /115 3 years ago and I've been on 50 mg of Cozaar a day since. Down to 116/72. Age 66.

That is freakin amazing.

[Art Vandelay]

Does one's blood pressure reading depend on whether one is laying down?

[MRC_Hans]

Everybody who said that this is not the place to get medical advice is a good skeptic. The links to the new guidelines were valuable, since the dangerous levels have been recently evalualuated and found to be lower than before.
The "white coat effect" appears to be real, in that your BP is likely to be higher than usual when being evaluated by medical personnel.
But I had 165 /115 3 years ago and I've been on 50 mg of Cozaar a day since. Down to 116/72. Age 66.
Cut way down on cigs, take a hit off my wife's Marboros just to make her feel guilty.Cozaar is an ACE inhibiter. It is a more modern drug than Beta blockers, and has fewer side-effect.

John in London: I would recommend you to do something about it. Of course, a single measurement says nothing. You should have it taken repeatedly. There is such thing as the white-coat effect; stress quite naturally raises yout BP, so if you are anxious when the doctor takes your BP, you will get consistent high readings, even if nothing is wrong. The best thing to do is buy, rent, or borrow a BP meter, and take your own BP regularly over a week, a couple of times a day, write down result and time. Bring the list to your GP.

And yes, loose weight, cut down on salts, get more exercise. (You'll look better, too ;)).

Hans

[MRC_Hans]

Does one's blood pressure reading depend on whether one is laying down?Yes, and on time of day, stress, and a number of other factors. Therefore, one single measurement is not enough.

Hans

[Tony4245]

Nurses are not doctors for a reason.

Yes, we have far too much sense to do something like go to medical school.

;)

[Tony4245]

For medical questions, consult a doctor, not people on a message board.

Good answer.

With the BP he listed, I'd be inclined to monitor him for a bit and see how it goes with the not smoking (good on you!), and weight loss.

However, this should be done under the supervision of your own doctor.

[Jon_in_london]

Yes, yes, see a doctor I know. But I also know that there are doctors who hang about his forum so why not see?

Plus, everyone's entitled to a bit of attention-whoring one in a while :p

[Hellbound]

Actually, a single blood pressure reading is ALWAYS inconclusive (well, unless you're at like 60/40 and we have to throw MAST on you, or 500/200 and we're watching blood spray from your eye sockets).

If you want a "baseline" BP reading, it'll take about a week (5 days is what's most often recommended).

Take your BP five days in a row, once in the morning and once int he evening. Try to pick the same time of day each day...in other words, set up a schedule: say, 10AM each morning and 5PM each evening. Maintain the same posture for each check (i.e.-standing, sitting, or lying down). This string of numbers will give a baseline to determine what you average BP is.

Of course, I will repeat the advice of others that this is not the place to get medical advice. However, a single BP reading is not enough data to determine a problem (generally), and definately not enough to determine the extent of a problem.

To another persons question, yes, your BP is differnet depending on whether you are standing, lying, or sitting (although it takes a few minutes after changing position for the BP to equalize to the new pressure). We often measured the patients posture in multiple positions, as a test for dehydration (more as a confirmation if dehydration was suspected). IIRC, your BP can vary by about 15 points from lying to standing (about 5 to 10 minutes between each position). More than 15 meant a problem. I may be misremembering the numbers, but 15 sticks in my head for some reason (been a while since I've been active in medical).