Not All Blood Pressure Diagnoses Are Created Equal

Have you ever wondered what the numbers associated with blood pressure mean? It is likely that you have heard the term 120 over 80 before. And perhaps you are even aware of the fact that this number is what doctors consider to be the ideal blood pressure levels. But if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with hypertension, the stress and anxiety that could arise after learning of this condition can be quite a lot for people to handle.

So, if you have ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure and asked yourself “what does my high blood pressure mean” you should know that the answer varies greatly depending on certain factors like age, weight, gender, family history as well as other factors. First off, you should know that high blood pressure constitutes anything above 120/80 and while it is possible to live with elevated blood pressures without ever noticing any symptoms, doctors recommend treating this condition as soon as it is discovered, due to the fact that ignoring hypertension could result in the development of some conditions that are deadly such as a heart attack, a blood clot or a stroke.

What Should your Blood Pressure Levels be?

For optimal health, the AHA (American Heart Association) recommends that adults between the ages of 35 and above to maintain a blood pressure of less than 120/80 mmHg and that those over 20 years old should get a regular blood pressure screening at least once a year.

When it comes to diagnosing a case of hypertension, we should also know that there are several categories or classifications; anything under 120 Systolic and 80 Diastolic is considered “Normal” blood pressure while anything between 120-139/80-89 is considered to be pre-hypertension. Above this level, it is where things start to get complicated as anything above 140-159/90-99 is considered Hypertension Stage 1 and anything above that but below 180/110 is considered Hypertension Stage 2. If for some reason, someone was to experience numbers above these levels, then that would be considered a medical emergency where preventive treatment is no longer an option.

Side Effects of High Blood Pressure

When it comes to asserting the possible urgency of a hypertension diagnosis, there is one thing we need to realize and that is the fact that people who are older tend to be more susceptible to the side effects of hypertension simply because blood vessels tend to become less and less elastic with age. There is an old saying amongst the medical community which says that “A man is as old as his arteries” and we believe this to be entirely accurate; every day the heart pumps out almost 2000 gallons of blood through our network of blood vessels which includes the arteries, the veins and our capillaries, which are fine branching blood vessels that form a network between the arterioles and venules. An as we grow older, the cardiovascular system becomes more susceptible to diseases originating from high blood pressure.

And as our vessels lose their elasticity due to age and other factors like smoking, drinking alcohol, a sedentary lifestyle and a diet rich in sodium, the risk of developing these cardiovascular diseases increase almost exponentially. In fact, studies have shown that there are links between the development of cardiovascular diseases and the loss of elasticity in the blood vessels.

High Blood Pressure Treatment

Thankfully, it is never too late to help maintain health blood pressure levels and the combination of PD120, a natural blood pressure supplement, and some major lifestyle changes is extremely effective when it comes to this, regardless of age and genetics.

Finally, it is important to consider that while high blood pressure and heart disease are deadly diseases that need to be treated right away, men are slightly more likely to pass away from a heart condition than women are. A study conducted by the Department of Physiology at the State University of New York showed that several factors tie into this equation, like occupational stress, behavioral risk factors and the fact that men are more likely to abuse illegal drugs and alcohol more than women. If we take these factors into consideration it is important to see why even though high blood pressure is a dangerous condition, there are several groups that are at a higher risk of suffering from heart conditions stemming from hypertension and these groups should pay special attention to their health and keep a close eye on their blood pressure levels in order to prevent these dangerous conditions.