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Step 1
When you’ve had your blood pressure checked at your doctor’s office, you usually hear the numbers expressed as one number over another i.e. 120/80. The upper number is known as the systolic blood pressure, the force in the blood vessels when the heart is pumping. The lower number, or diastolic blood pressure, is the force in the vessels when the heart is relaxing between beats. If your systolic blood pressure is elevated above 140, you’re considered to have an elevated systolic blood pressure. What does it mean when you have systolic hypertension?
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Step 2
Before the results of recent studies showed the importance of the systolic blood pressure, this number usually was given far less regard than the diastolic reading. The diastolic pressure was considered to be the all important number that determined your cardiac risk; and elevated systolic readings were considered to be part of the normal aging process. This is no longer the case. It’s now known that systolic high blood pressure is an important risk factor for health complications, particularly in the older population.
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Step 3
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2004 showed that treating people with systolic blood pressure readings over 160 reduced the risk of developing complications such as heart disease. In fact, it’s been shown that the risk of heart disease rises proportionally with increases in systolic blood pressure readings.
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Step 4
Systolic blood pressure is usually treated in much the same manner as diastolic hypertension with lifestyle changes along with the use of prescription medications if lifestyle changes fail to work. Although most doctors now realize the importance of treating elevated systolic readings, treatment can be tricky if only the systolic blood pressure is elevated. Treatment with prescription blood pressure medications can sometimes lower the diastolic reading too much causing what is known as a widened pulse pressure which can theoretically increase the risk of heart abnormalities in older people.
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Step 5
If you’ve been told you have an elevated systolic blood pressure reading, it’s important to discuss this with your doctor. In some cases, this can be an isolated abnormal reading related to being nervous or stressed. That’s why it’s important to get several readings at different times of the day to see if there’s a pattern. If your systolic blood pressure remains elevated at 160 or above, it’s likely that your doctor will suggest lifestyle changes and, possibly, medications to bring it back into the normal range.
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Step 6
As you can see, both numbers are important when you undergo blood pressure testing. Just be sure to keep getting your blood pressure monitored on a regular basis. It could save your life.
