They are two numbers everyone should pay attention to for optimal health: Their systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers. If your blood pressure is consistently above 140/90, you have high blood pressure.
The higher number, called systolic blood pressure, reflects the force your blood exerts against the walls of your blood vessels when your heart is beating. The lower, diastolic number, is the pressure exerted between heartbeats.
Blood pressure higher than 120/80 is considered borderline high blood pressure, which puts you at greater risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney problems. Some experts, like David Frid, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, believe people with blood pressure numbers consistently higher than 120/80 should also be diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Like forcing the body to carry extra weight
Doctors say having high blood pressure is like forcing the body to carry extra weight. The problem is, you may not feel any symptoms of high blood pressure until you have a health crisis.
So get your blood pressure checked at least once or twice a year, and, if it’s borderline high, talk to your doctor about whether a better diet and a little exercise may bring it down, or you need more intensive treatment.
A review of more than 977,000 people with diabetes and high blood pressure who were treated at hospitals and clinics revealed that almost equal percentages of patients are over treated and under treated with blood-pressure medications. The patient review found that more than 8 percent of patients are possibly being over-treated with blood-pressure medication while 6 percent are not being treated as aggressively as they could be.
“Appropriately treating blood pressure in people with diabetes is extremely important, and good blood pressure control should still be the goal to reduce risk of heart attack, stroke and other conditions,” says study author author Eve Kerr, MD. “But just treating to a BP target in all patients may result in over-treating and harming some patients because their blood pressures actually fall too low.” Currently, about 65 percent of people with diabetes actually die of heart attack or stroke, the National Institutes of Health reports.
Defining Overtreatment of Hypertension
Researchers assessed the appropriateness of patient care by looking at target blood pressure and at treatments patients were getting for high blood pressure. If patients had blood pressure less than 130/65 while receiving three or more blood pressure medications or having had recent increases in medication dosages, they were considered potentially over treated (normal blood pressure is within the range of 120-139/80-89).
There is some evidence that patients with diabetes who undergo aggressive treatment for hypertension experience worse side effects than people taking less medication, but they may not have better heart health, researchers wrote. Common side effects of medications for hypertension include swelling of the face, hands, and legs; fatigue; and leg cramps. Some beta blockers for high blood pressure can result in insomnia or tiredness, depression, and asthma symptoms. However, people who take insulin to manage their diabetes are generally advised not to take beta blockers, as they can worsen blood sugar control.
(www.everydayhealth.com)