Blood Pressure Standards Changed

[pr0ner]

I thought about putting this in Random Randomness, but I figured it might be big enough to warrant its own thread.

The American Heart Association revised its blood pressure guidelines today. Previously, if your blood pressure numbers were higher than 140 systolic or 90 distolic, it was considered high.

Now? Higher than 130/80 is considered high.

This means that nearly half of US adults will be considered to have high blood pressure.

How's your blood pressure today?

[Moliere]

That's one way to sell more high blood pressure medication. Who's funding this change? Big Pharma!

[stessier]

Depends who measures it. When I do it, it's about 119/75. When the someone who has the ability to stick needles in me does it, it's usually about 130/85.

[hentzau]

That's one way to sell more high blood pressure medication. Who's funding this change? Big Pharma!

Honestly, this is the first thing I thought of.

[tgb]

That's one way to sell more high blood pressure medication. Who's funding this change? Big Pharma!

Honestly, this is the first thing I thought of.

Me, too. I'm usually as 135-138/90

[The Meal]

158/108

Oh wait, that was MHS.

I'm generally 120-130/77-83. At least those are my numbers since I left my last job.

[Isgrimnur]

119/79 in June.

Depends who measures it. When I do it, it's about 119/75. When the someone who has the ability to stick needles in me does it, it's usually about 130/85.

White coat hypertension

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, I have significant white coat syndrome. Saw a cardiologist for the first time in my life last month and he measured it as 158/110. He looked at me and knew that couldn't be right. Waited a bit and had me at 130/100 - still too high, but that white coat thing is real. Anyway, I'm on meds now and will probably be for the rest of my life. He ordered a CAT scan for me to just get a baseline and was surprised to see that I actually had calcified plaque in my mid-circumflex artery (it hugs the back of the heart). Not normal at all for my age (43) but my family history is working against me. Get your pressure checked!

[gilraen]

120/80 is high for me. I'm usually around 110/70, give or take 5 points. One time when I showed up to donate blood, my BP was so low, I was below the cutoff. I think the tech was wondering how the hell I was conscious enough to drive myself...

[dbt1949]

The VA changed their standards just recently. 140 was considered too high and now they've raised it to 150. I don't remember the bottom numbers but I suspect it was 80 for both.

[Scuzz]

Depends who measures it. When I do it, it's about 119/75. When the someone who has the ability to stick needles in me does it, it's usually about 130/85.

My wife is like that. Her blood pressure goes thru the roof when she has it done when she is not "ready" for it. When she relaxes and then has it done it comes out okay. By the way, she is on high blood pressure meds already. Her whole family has that problem.

My blood pressure is usually on the lower end of the spectrum. I give blood every few months and get it checked that way.

[pr0ner]

120/80 is high for me. I'm usually around 110/70, give or take 5 points. One time when I showed up to donate blood, my BP was so low, I was below the cutoff. I think the tech was wondering how the hell I was conscious enough to drive myself...

I had that happen once before I donated blood. One of the supervisors had me drink a Mountain Dew to artifically inflate my blood pressure before I was allowed to donate that time.

[Skinypupy]

Depends who measures it. When I do it, it's about 119/75. When the someone who has the ability to stick needles in me does it, it's usually about 130/85.

Same here, with nearly exactly the same numbers.

Doesn't help that I'm horrible about actually going to the doctor, and the only time I ever get it measured is when I go in while I'm sick and/or in massive pain (i.e. gout flareups)

[Kraken]

No idea, but it's never been an issue. I think it's whatever over something.

[GreenGoo]

That's one way to sell more high blood pressure medication. Who's funding this change? Big Pharma!

Honestly, this is the first thing I thought of.

Ditto.

[Jeff V]

How's your blood pressure today?

Through the roof after reading this! Sounds like big pharma got to them so they can sell more pills.

Pills, by the way, which reduced mine from a borderline high of 138/80 (consistent for years) to 118/72 on my last visit.

[paulbaxter]

For the cynics out there, this is a completely rational response to the most talked about study in recent medical history, namely the SPRINT trial. You can look up the details for yourself, but the basic idea was to compare two different targets for blood pressure lowering therapy, either below 140 systolic or below 120 systolic. The initial results were so striking in favor of the 120 target that the study was ended early, I presume under the understanding that it would be bringing relative harm to the people in the 140 target group.

NEJM article here: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE ... #t=article

American College of Cardiology article (a bit more to the point) here : http://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology ... /40/sprint

[Kraken]

Stupid science, ruining a perfectly good conspiracy theory. I suppose you think the earth's a sphere, too.

[MHS]

158/108

Oh wait, that was MHS.

I'm generally 120-130/77-83. At least those are my numbers since I left my last job.

My highest numbers have put me over 200 systolic and around 115 diastolic (or do I have those reversed?) Mostly though, yeah, I run around 150-160/90-110, and that’s on 3 different blood pressure meds. Kidney failure is a bitch on blood pressure. My job probably doesn’t help.

[Daehawk]

I thought I had that white coat syndrom but turned out I didn't. My entire life I was low or normal..I ran 110 / 63 to like 119 / 76 but for the last few years it read high. I was running around 148 / 110 at times and if I sat still it would do 130 / 90 .....I started on Lisinopril 10 mg and now mine is low normal again. But I have'nt had any in about 8 months now./ Need to go before the new years since I have no deductible right now.

[Punisher]

120/80 is high for me. I'm usually around 110/70, give or take 5 points. One time when I showed up to donate blood, my BP was so low, I was below the cutoff. I think the tech was wondering how the hell I was conscious enough to drive myself...

Plot twist.. you WERE unconscious and imagined the whole thing.

[Punisher]

For the cynics out there, this is a completely rational response to the most talked about study in recent medical history, namely the SPRINT trial.

I used to have SPRINT and it definitely made my blood pressure rise..

[Punisher]

Stupid science, ruining a perfectly good conspiracy theory. I suppose you think the earth's a sphere, too.

If so, he'd be wrong..
I'd site sources, but I'm no Adam Conover..

[Kraken]

Stupid science, ruining a perfectly good conspiracy theory. I suppose you think the earth's a sphere, too.

If so, he'd be wrong..
I'd site sources, but I'm no Adam Conover..

OK, okay...oblate spheroid. Sheesh.

[Punisher]

Stupid science, ruining a perfectly good conspiracy theory. I suppose you think the earth's a sphere, too.

If so, he'd be wrong..
I'd site sources, but I'm no Adam Conover..

OK, okay...oblate spheroid. Sheesh.

It's all about: https://wiki.tfes.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions

[Daehawk]

Today the nurse said my bp was 130 / 72 ....and I haven't had bp meds in almost 8 months.