EXPERTS LOWER "HIGH" BLOOD
PRESSURE NUMBERS
You probably get your blood
pressure checked every time
you go to the doctor. Having
high blood pressure increases
your chances of heart attacks,
strokes, kidney disease, and
other serious health problems.
After studying the results
from hundreds of studies, experts
recently changed the definition
of high blood pressure.
Blood pressure is measured
in two numbers, like 120/80
mm Hg. The first number is
the pressure that the heart uses
to push blood through your arteries.
The second number
is the pressure when
the heart is at
rest between
beats. Normal blood pressure
for an adult is below 120/80.
NIH-sponsored research
played an important role in
providing evidence that the
definition of high blood pressure
should be changed. Before
the guideline changed in November,
the definition of high
blood pressure was 140/90.
Now, high blood pressure is defined
as 130 or higher for the
first number, or 80 or higher
for the second number.
If you have high blood pressure,
your doctor may suggest
changes to your diet and physical
activity. If lifestyle changes
don’t work, medicines can help.
“Only about half the people
t
s
t
in the country who have high
blood pressure are controlled
to recommended levels,” says
NIH heart disease expert Dr.
David C. Goff, Jr. “We could
prevent a lot more heart attacks
and strokes if more people
had their blood pressure well
controlled.”
Healthy Living | Winter Issue | 2017–2018 3