Is it possible for someone to have a blood pressure this high?

Question

Hello,
Someone I know went to the emergency room with a blood pressure of 190! Is that possible? What could cause that blood pressure? What is the best way to treat that? How do we prevent the blood pressure from increasing again?

Answer 1

If this person had this kind of pressure it means that it is possible.

Answer 2

yes it is possible as a matter of fact i have seen people with Blood pressures of 200/100. Alot of reasons why, the person could have had this problem for a long time and never knew it, strong emotional upset can cause this, blocked arteries by high cholesterol, kidney failure, high salt intake, the person can be retaining fluid, and many more medical reasons that i do not know. A blood pressure as high as 190 has to be treated with medication, low salt diet and excercise. The person may not have to stay on blood pressure meds for the rest of their lives, but they will need their blood pressure checked once weekly for a long time to make sure that the medication is working. if the medication or medications is not working then the doctor will change it. when the blood pressure starts to go down, the person can ask the doctor if the dosage can be decreased, the person still has to get their blood pressure checked weekly but the decrease can go as far as being taken off the medication and monitoring the blood pressure every week to 2weeks.

Answer 3

After traumatic events, systolic blood pressures over 200 are well known. What you worry about more is when resting and not coming down from an adrenaline rush or some other form of upset, a resting BP should be somewhere near 120/70 give or take several points on each. 160/100 is bad (too high). 130/75 is good. 100/60 is bad (too low).

I had a friend who died when his heart arrhythmia suddenly sent him into a BP of 110/90. The difference between the upper and lower numbers (systolic and diastolic) is a measure of how hard your heart pumps. In my friend's case, the net pressure was so low that his blood really wasn't circulating enough. It was fatal. Rest in peace, Randy!

Anyway, control of high blood pressure is incredibly important because failure to control leads to strokes, heart attacks, and other organ damage. As to HOW to control it, a doctor should do a thorough workup to decide whether the pressure was high because of an abnormal event, a functional or organic condition, or "essential hypertension." Each will be treated differently.

Treatments are in two phases. First, drugs can help lower blood pressure. Second, diet and moderate exercise can help improve the conditions that lead to the hypertension.

As to drugs, there are at least half-a-dozen FAMILIES of drugs you can use. There are the calcium channel blockers, diuretics, alpha-channel blockers, ACE inhibitors (ACE = angiotensin conversion enzyme), ... a long list. And some of these can be combined to good effect. One or two pills a day can often do the trick.

Answer 4

If your blood pressure is only slightly elevated (less than 139/89), then you can probably bring it down by eating a healthy diet and exercise. If it is higher than that, diet and exercise alone are probably not enough and you will need some blood pressure medicine. High blood pressure can lead to some very nasty problems, such as stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. I treat people with these problems all the time. Trust me, it is so much better to just take a blood pressure pill and watch what you eat than to try to get back your function after a bad stroke or heart attack. Ask your doctor what you can do to help lower your blood pressure.

Answer 5

Yes, it is possible. A blood pressure that high can easily lead to a stroke. There are a number of things that can cause blood pressure to spike that high, so I hope your friend got a full work-up to find any underlying cause. How to prevent that from occuring again would really depend upon what caused it in the first place.

Answer 6

Yes, I have encountered people with blood pressures above 230, however anything above 170 gives the person a high risk of stroke. That blood pressure could be caused by several factors, sodium levels, stress levels, familial spread out.

Answer 7

Yes, it's possible.

There are lots of causes: medications, drugs, stress, diet, exercise (or lack of), lifestyle, heredity, underlying diseases.

Treatment: what did the ER discharge your friend with? Any prescriptions? If your friend was prescribed any meds, it's important to take them as ordered for a while, and follow up with a doctor, see if they did any good. Do NOT just discontinue them suddenly.

Other things they can do - it really depends on WHY their BP was so high. They can try to cut back on salt and fat, exercise regularly, reduce stress, lose weight, drink plenty of fluids (not caffeinated beverages or sodas, more like water or juices or decaf teas)... all of this would be good regardless of the actual blood pressure numbers. Good luck.

Answer 8

yup...my aunt was over 210..we rushed her to the E.R..good thing it did not lead to stroke...ask a doctor and ask for a maintenance medz that will stabilize your blood pressure...basically, avoid fatty food and have enough rest..don't stress out too much....hope i helped..