Only one of your numbers needs to be higher than it should be to be diagnosed with high blood pressure, and only one needs to be lower than it should be to be diagnosed with low blood pressure. Show So if your top number is over 140 or the bottom number is over 90, you may be diagnosed with high blood pressure, regardless of the other number. If your top number is under 90 or your bottom number is under 60, you may be diagnosed with low blood pressure. Use the chart to see where your numbers sit. If your top number (systolic pressure) is consistently higher than 140mmHg, but the bottom number is healthy - this is known as Isolated Systolic Hypertension. If the bottom number (diastolic pressure) is consistently higher than 90mmHg but the top number is healthy - this is known as Isolated Diastolic Hypertension. Making sure your readings aren’t a one-off A single high reading doesn’t necessarily mean you have high blood pressure, as many things can affect your blood pressure throughout the day, such as the temperature, when you last ate, and if you’re feeling stressed. Your doctor or nurse will probably want to measure your blood pressure a number of times over a few weeks to make sure the reading wasn’t just a one off and that your blood pressure stays high over time. Read about how high blood pressure is diagnosed, getting a blood pressure check, the further tests you might have if you have a high blood pressure reading, and what it means if you’re diagnosed with high blood pressure. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. They’ll say the numbers as systolic pressure “over” diastolic pressure. For example, a healthy reading is below 120 over less than 80. If your systolic blood pressure is higher than 130 but your diastolic blood pressure is under 80, that’s called isolated systolic hypertension. It’s the most common kind of high blood pressure in older people. You probably won’t know you have it unless your doctor tells you -- there usually aren’t any noticeable signs of it until it causes serious health issues. That’s why high blood pressure is sometimes called “the silent killer.” What Problems Can It Cause?All types of high blood pressure, including isolated systolic hypertension, can slowly damage the inside of your arteries and cause tiny tears in their walls. A chemical called LDL cholesterol can build up in those damaged blood vessels and form a layer called plaque. That makes your arteries narrower and raises your blood pressure even higher. When that happens, the arteries that carry oxygen to your heart can get blocked, and that can lead to a heart attack or a stroke (when blood flow is limited or cut off to part of your brain). It also can make blood vessels in your brain burst, and that can cause a stroke, too. In other parts of your body, it can strain the blood vessels in your eyes and make you lose your eyesight or damage the arteries around your kidneys so they don’t filter your blood the way they should. Who Gets Isolated Systolic Hypertension?Older people are more likely to have it, because systolic blood pressure usually goes up as you age.
If your systolic blood pressure is too high, your doctor may prescribe medicine to help bring it down. Drugs used to control blood pressure include: Your doctor also may recommend you do a few other things: SOURCES: National Institute on Aging: “Identification and treatment of isolated systolic hypertension may increase quality of life in older Americans.” American Heart Association. The Mayo Clinic: “High blood pressure (hypertension).” American Family Physician: “Hypertension Treatment and the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease in the Elderly." |
What does a high top bp number mean
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