![]() One of the new studies, which analyzed the medical records of more than 11,000 adults over a period of three decades, found that people who had low diastolic blood pressure (60 to 69 mm Hg) were twice as likely to have subtle evidence of heart damage compared with people whose diastolic blood pressure was 80 to 89 mm Hg. Paul Conlin, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of medicine at the VA Boston Healthcare System. But low diastolic pressure by itself doesn't have any symptoms," says Dr. "When your systolic blood pressure gets too low, it can manifest as lightheadedness, fainting, and weakness. Diastolic blood pressure (the second number in a reading) represents the pressure between beats when the heart relaxes. Now, two recent observational studies highlight some concerns about blood pressure that's too low, particularly with regard to diastolic blood pressure. Yet reaching that lower target required an average of three blood pressure medications, which resulted in more side effects. But last year, a widely publicized clinical trial suggested that a target of 120 mm Hg could further reduce the dangers associated with high blood pressure (namely, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and death). These factors tend to raise systolic blood pressure, a measure of the pressure inside the arteries when the heart contracts to pump blood throughout the body.Ĭurrent guidelines suggest that most people should aim for a systolic blood pressure reading of 140 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or lower. That's because as people age, their arteries lose their elasticity, and the inner walls are more likely to accumulate cholesterol-laden plaque. Of the two numbers that make up your blood pressure reading, the first one (systolic blood pressure) typically gets more attention. New findings focus on diastolic blood pressure-the second number in your blood pressure reading.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |