New Blood Pressure Guidelines – What are the New Standards?

High blood pressure is one of the common causes of cardiac and many other problems for people all around the world. However, people living in the United States have 46% more chances to get affected by high blood pressure and hypertension. This percentage increased when the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology announced new blood pressure guidelines which significantly decreased the hypertension diagnosis threshold.

New Stages of Blood Pressure Guidelines

According to the new definition of high blood pressure guidelines, Systolic pressure which is said to be stage 1 of high blood pressure will be 130, and diastolic would be 80/80+. Systolic pressure refers to the blood pressure that is taken when the heart contracts and diastolic is measured when the heart beats. As for the previous blood pressure guidelines, the standard reading was 140/90.

This first update put 30 million American adults under high blood pressure ratings. It may seem daunting to have more than 30 million people suffering from hypertension. But the fact is, the guidelines shared by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (AHA) are leading in the right direction.

They precisely have recognized the lifestyle and the understanding of blood pressure which is why they think why people should not treat it with medicines alone. To manage this situation, patients and healthcare providers both have to have partners along and understand the treatment for this disease.

Blood pressure is measured in mm of mercury or mmHg. You may have always seen blood pressure readings one over another like 120 over 80. This refers to systolic and diastolic pressure. According to CDC guidelines;

Normal blood pressure measurement; systolic pressure – less than 120 mmHg, diastolic – less than 80 mmHg.

Elevated blood pressure measurement; systolic pressure – 120 – 129 mmHg, diastolic – less than 80 mm Hg.

Stage 1 High blood pressure measurement; systolic pressure – 130 – 139 mmHg, diastolic – 89 mm Hg.

Stage 2 high Blood pressure; systolic pressure; systolic– 140 mmHg or above, diastolic 90 mmHg or above.

It is essential to maintain a blood pressure point, especially for those who have hypertension issues. It is not a sudden threshold surge that appears just like that. A patient and doctor should remain aware of the understanding of high blood pressure and work together to maintain it to the lowest degree to eliminate the risks of heart disease.

Risks Posed by High Blood Pressure

Risks Posed by High Blood Pressure
Source: express.co.uk

According to studies, the risk for cardiovascular diseases increases blood pressure fluctuations and increases in hypertension. Even if you see a slight rise in the systolic and diastolic range, symptoms can be different.

High blood pressure poses serious threats to a patient’s health with cardiac arrests and strokes that can be dangerous in variable conditions. If you’re an American and you age between 40 to 89, AHA says that you get 20 times near to heart attack and stroke risks with every rise in a systolic and diastolic pressure point.

To manage your blood pressure, many factors are there that should be taken into accounts such as family history, and any other disease that poses the risk of rising blood pressure and being overweight or obese. They work as a puzzle to get the exact formula that would work for you to maintain normal blood pressure.

If you are at low risk of heart disease, you would be advised to control your high blood pressure with a change in lifestyle and routine without the use of any prior medication. Besides, if your risks surge in a given time, you would likely entirely change your lifestyle and routine along with having proper timely medication.

People having diseases like chronic kidney diseases or diabetes along with high blood pressure are some examples of high risk of heart disease or stroke.

Blood Pressure Guidelines for Older Adults

Blood Pressure Guidelines for Older Adults
Source: griswoldhomecare.com

The new high blood pressure guidelines are for all the US adults whom the studies already have targeted in the higher blood pressure range. They are specifically at a high risk of blood pressure surge. However, although they are living healthier lives because of the medication, they still need to focus on maintaining their blood pressure for a quality of life as the guidelines address the risk to a patient’s health.

One of the effective lifestyle changes that can be easily applied is to focus on how much salt or sodium is consumed each day. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that an average American woman consumes 2980 mg of sodium each day as compared to an American man whose average sodium consumption is 4240 mg.

People having high blood pressure issues must limit their sodium consumption to 1500 mg. That equates to 3800 mg of salt a day.

Conclusion

Depending on the high blood pressure guidelines, every American touching the normal range of blood pressure is at risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Managing it with the doctor’s collaboration will help patients to live a healthy and long life without medication and abstaining from their favorite food. The more you work together with your doctor, the easier it gets to handle the situation before it gets out of control.