When is high blood pressure not high blood pressure?
Prehypertension - what's your real risk?
New medical evidence suggests that the damage caused by high blood pressure begins at a lower level than doctors thought.
Until recently, doctors treating high blood pressure limited their concern to blood pressure that exceeded a reading of 140 systolic (the upper number) and 90 diastolic (the lower number).
The condition has been labelled as prehypertension. (Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure).
Prehypertension is used to describe blood pressure readings between 120/80 and 139/89. At these levels the blood pressure is higher than normal but not within the traditional danger zone.
Patients with this kind of prehypertension seem to have a three-times greater risk of having a heart attack than people with normal blood pressure."
Other recent research shows that people with prehypertension are three times more likely to have a heart attack and 1.7 times more likely to develop heart disease. Around 59 million Americans are thought to have prehypertension.
Its not yet clear from research whether medication will help lower the risk for people with prehypertension. Lifestyle and diet changes may turn out to be more important
New medical evidence suggests that the damage caused by high blood pressure begins at a lower level than doctors thought.
Until recently, doctors treating high blood pressure limited their concern to blood pressure that exceeded a reading of 140 systolic (the upper number) and 90 diastolic (the lower number).
The condition has been labelled as prehypertension. (Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure).
Prehypertension is used to describe blood pressure readings between 120/80 and 139/89. At these levels the blood pressure is higher than normal but not within the traditional danger zone.
Patients with this kind of prehypertension seem to have a three-times greater risk of having a heart attack than people with normal blood pressure."
Other recent research shows that people with prehypertension are three times more likely to have a heart attack and 1.7 times more likely to develop heart disease. Around 59 million Americans are thought to have prehypertension.
Its not yet clear from research whether medication will help lower the risk for people with prehypertension. Lifestyle and diet changes may turn out to be more important
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