Is my blood pressure too high?

Question

i have a blood pressure reading of 144/80 i have no idea what this means, is this too high (i'm 17 years old and male)?

resting heart beat is 86 if that helps?

Answer 1

The top number is only slightly high but nothing to worry about.

Answer 2

144 is your systolic blood pressure, which should be under the 120's
80 is your diastolic blood pressure, which should be under the mid 80's.
It is not abnormal for an isolated blood pressure reading to be high in an otherwise normal person. A diagnosis of high blood pressure (Hypertension) requires at least three elevated readings. In any case, hypertension is more associated with diastolic pressure increases. Isolated high systolic pressure increases happen for a number of reasons.
1. Very rarely in your age group but common in over 70 is atherosclerosis in the large (elastic) arteries.
2. The amount of blood your heart puts out a minute (cardiac output) is the number of beats per minute (heart rate) times the amount per out per beat. Athletes have a lower resting heart rate than non athletes, but they still need the same cardiac output as a normal person of the same size and weight. Therefore, they pump more blood per beat, which makes the difference between systolic and diastolic pressure larger than a normal person.
3. If you are excited, did not have enough sleep, are hungry or have exercised (or ran in from the car) recently, one or both of your blood pressure may be high due to the body's response.
4. The vending type blood pressure cuffs are not accurate. That's why they usually say 'for amusement only'.
5. Not everyone knows how to read blood pressure right, even people who do it every day. Even amoung those who do there can be carelessness.
Check with your primary care provider if you even suspect hypertension!

Answer 3

144 Over 80 Blood Pressure

Answer 4

144/80 is far too high for someone your age. If you had it taken on one of the those machines in a drugstore or something, don't worry about it, those machines are notoriously in accurate. Go to a fire station and ask them to check your blood pressure, they use a good bp cuff and a stethoscope and will get a much more accurate reading for you.
normal blood pressure is 115/75, pre-hypertension is 120/80
and high blood pressure starts at 130/90.

Answer 5

A single blood pressure means nothing. Measure it repeatedly over a few days. Make a diary. Also make sure that you are using the correct size cuff for your arm. If you are unsure of this, make an appointment with a practice nurse.

If it is still similar values to the one you described then go and see your doctor. The value you quote is very high for a 17 year old. The resting heart rate is also very high.

Hypertension at 17 is very unusual and may be secondary to several disases. It needs to be investigated.

Answer 6

The top number of your blood pressure reading measures the pressure against the walls of your blood vessels when your heart is pumping blood to your organs.
The bottom number of your blood pressure reading measures the pressure against the walls of your blood vessels when your heart is between beats and resting.
Medical guidelines state that a normal blood pressure for most adults is less than 120/80 mm Hg. Take your blood pressure 3 or 4 times within 20 mins and see if it goes down. if not, talk to a doc

Answer 7

3 years ago, I was diagnosed - hypertension with a reading of 160/100. I used to feel dizzy a lot, my legs had awful cramps, and levels were very low in my potassium, causing my fingers and toes to always cramp together. One day I started to feel really faint while I was driving with my daughter in the back seat and I passed out, hitting 3 cars and ending up in a ditch. That moment,I knew I had to do something because my meds weren't working. I heard about this diet from a friend and thought I'd give it a shot. The results have been remarkable. In just 21 days, I honestly can't remember feeling this good, my blood pressure went from 175/110 to 125/70.

Answer 8

144 over 80 is a touch on the high side.


It means that when your heart is contracting and pumping out blood, the force exerted against the walls of your arteries is the same force as the force of 144 milimeters of mercury
Thats called the "systolic" number"

80 is the force that is residual in your arteries when your heart is not actively pumping, the short period where the heart is refilling with blood. again, the force is measured in milimeters of mercury. This is called the diastolic number


Blood pressure changes and fluctuates during the day and night. If you've been out exercising, or are nervous, on nicotine caffeine etc, its not uncommon for blood pressure to go up. You being 17, I wouldn't expect your systolic blood pressure to be over 130 when you're at rest, unless there are extenuating circumstances (obesity, drugs, stress, etc)


If you check your blood pressure again and find similar numbers, I reccomend you have your cardiovascular health checked by a medical professional who can accurately determine whats going on, and whats normal for a young man in your situation.


Good luck

Answer 9

The ideal is around 120 over 80 140 over 90 is classed as high, maybe you could get it checked by your GP.

Answer 10

The higher one is too high if it was done at rest. Try taking it a few times to see how it goes up and down

Answer 11

This sounds a little high to me, but I'm no expert. Only your doctor can tell you for sure. There are other factors such as weight, body style, diet and genetics that have to be considered also.