“High blood pressure is not a disease by itself, but it’s a risk factor for things like heart attack, kidney failure, stroke and more,” Baker said. The new guidelines, which were announced last November and are based on years of data, now mean that many more Americans are categorized as having high blood pressure. Readings above that are now considered elevated or high. “Both numbers can define high blood pressure and the need for treatment,” Baker said.Ī normal reading is less than 120 over 80. Years ago, doctors focused more on the bottom number, but it is now understood that the top number is just as important. When the heart relaxes and fills, the reading falls and you get the lower number, or your diastolic reading.” Which number matters more? “It’s just like plumbing: if you’re pumping more water into the system, the pressure inside the plumbing goes up. “When your heart pumps, all that blood rushes and fills your arteries,” Baker said.
The bottom number, or diastolic pressure, measures the blood pressure between beats. The top number, or systolic pressure, measures how much pressure is in the arteries when the heart contracts. The basics of blood pressureĪ blood pressure reading is made up of two numbers expressed as a fraction. Will Baker, a cardiologist with UCHealth Heart and Vascular Clinics in Steamboat Springs and Craig, outlines what you need to know. But what exactly do those numbers mean? Below, Dr. Recently updated blood pressure guidelines have a lot of people looking at their numbers.
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