Pre-Hypertension, should I be concerned about it?

Question

My blood pressure is 128/88 and Im 41 years old. Is it time for me to see doctor? (BTW I eat healthy and exercise)

Answer 1

You should ALWAYS be aware of your blood pressure. Make sure you monitor it. Recent studies show even slight hypertension can damage small capillaries in the brain as well as the rest of the body. Organ damage is easily avoided by what you are doing - following and monitoring your BP closely. It is so easy to treat should it continue to elevate, it is certainly prudent to be diligent in monitoring it. It may never elevate beyond what it is - just keep on top of it.

Many times hypertension has no symptoms, so you are ahead of the game to be following yours.

Answer 2

There may be reason for concern but no need to panic and run to the clinic today. Many things can affect your BP at any given moment. Things like, but not limited to the following:

- Smoking
- Stress (Emotional, mental and physical)
- Some medications can cause a rise in BP
- Poor sleep habits and sleep disorders (Sleep Apnea, not enough sleep, sleep disturbances, etc.)
- Body position as the reading is taken (lying down. sitting, arm not level with heart, etc.)
- How long since your last meal
- Also there is a condition called "White Coat Hypertension". This is when a person visits a doctor and their BP goes up. It's an example of mental stress.

Please remember that a persons BP can change drastically over a short period of time, often within minutes. No single reading can indicate High or Low BP. Several readings over time must be taken before there is a need for real concern. Please don't be alarmed by a single reading reading.

Be very careful of the answers you get on here. Most people are well meaning but just don't really understand how to convey their thoughts (this includes me from time to time). Others are way out in "left field" and provide information that is NOT widlely accepted in main stream medicine and either can not or will not provide links to documintation or proof of their beliefs.

Please see my question at this link:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Av49Xi33jDkL3oAQ2KO.XKHsy6IX?qid=20070616073321AAC4pD5

I try hard to back-up my information with links to well trusted web sites with widely accepted information. I don't claim to be some physicist and offer my leftist beliefs and expect you to accept them like a dog to a food bowl.

Sincerely,
Terry

Answer 3

I'm a great believer in feedback. How do you know you really have a problem or if the things you change help you, unless you get regular readings. So I encourage you to go get your own BP cuff, if you haven't already. Ask your local pharmacist for a recommendation on an automated BP cuff. You should be able to find one for around $50.

Your BP can vary quite a bit, not just from day to day, but from moment to moment. So 1 reading is just that, an indication that you might be getting up there.

I think you want to take a series of BP readings at the time of day when you are at rest. Typically, this is first thing in the morning, sitting in a chair with your feet on the floor, having rested for 5 minutes or so.

If the average reading is up around the level you just described, there are some simple lifestyle modifications that should bring it down to 120/80. Since you already eat fairly well and exercise, the big ones are:

1. Watch your sodium intake very carefully, cutting back to 2000mg/day is very doable, but it means watching food labels and it can be tough to figure out sodium content when you are eating out. As a rule, processed foods can contain a ridiculous amount of sodium. And sodium can drive your pressure up, as well as make your kidneys and heart work harder to get rid of it.

2. Try to eat more fresh fruits containing potassium. Potassium acts in an opposite direction from sodium, lowering BP, in general. Your kidneys are much better at sloughing off potassium than sodium, but our diets have evolved to add more sodium and substantially reduce potassium.

3. Think about sleep apnea. Do you snore? Believe it or not, sleep apnea can drive up BP! And if you snore, you probably have it.

4. Watch other areas of your lifestyle, as it seems appropriate... caffeine can have a short term effect, so don't check your BP soon after drinking a cup of coffee, and reduce your caffeine intake if you are drinking more than a couple cups/day. Same ideas apply to alcohol and certainly smoking and weight. You've heard all these admonitions before, I'm sure, but they all impact your BP.

5. Before you even consider taking BP meds, you should try everything I have listed above, as well as a careful examination of you diet. And you wouldn't want to take meds at the 130/90 level anyway. The meds all have their downsides, so now is a great time to start monitoring your BP and keeping it down, so that you never have to use them!

Answer 4

You should not worry about your blood pressure. 120/80 is considered an ideal BP. But this can be overlooked considering the lifestyle, conditions of your constitution, your weight, height, diet and lots of other things.
Your BP of 128/88 is perfectly normal. Remember at no given time or place, your BP will be constant. It will keep varying. You need to monitor regularly to come to an average of your BP.
BTW, BP is measured after the patient is rested for a minimum of 30 mins.
You say you maintain a healthy diet and exercise, so keep it up you are doing fine. Dont be tensed, it will increase your BP.

Answer 5

what does your doctor say about this? i think the normal blood pressure is 120-over 80,so i would ask your doctor about this.i too have high blood pressue its been 4 years now,and when i first saw my pysician and he took my pressure,it was dangerously high,200 -over116,he immediatly put me on norvasc and since then im relatively normal.

Answer 6

Short answer is heck yea! Ounce of prevention is worth a $500K surgery and maybe kicking the bucket.

It's nothing to panic over though.

Answer 7

yes...nothing to panic about...your lifestyle choices of exercise and diet are in your favor, but what about your family history, smoking, weight, cholesterol levels .... and unfortunately your age now puts you at risk for developing problems....congrats on checking your BP, at the least have a thorough annual physical from now on....

Answer 8

go to the doctor asap it is better to be safe and avoid further damage