systolic hypertension in young adults

[marisia]

i recently had my bp taken and it was 160/79 and was told that the systolic number was high but as the dystolic number was normal that there was nothing to worry about, however i read about systolic hypertension in the elderly is a concern and wondered if it was a concern in yound adults as i am 27, should i be worried and seek a second opinion from a doctor? i do suffer from nose bleeds, headaches, and my pulse is 91 i am overweight and i know this is a risk facter.

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hi Marisia,

160/79 is too high.  I am hoping your doctor meant is you shouldn't worry about it for now, lose some weight, get in better shape and come back in six weeks and we will see how you are doing. I am sure you want to avoid medications at your age, but you might not be able to.  the first thing you need to do is get yourself down to "fighting weight." -- get your body mass index below 25 and preferably around 22-23.

If you dont' know your bmi, do a google search for

bmi calculator


I believe the nhi has a good website with a calculator on it.  you will have to enter your height and weight.

do you parents have high blood pressure?

Also, because you are so young, if you blood pressure stay elevated, your doctor should investigate secondary causes for high blood pressure.  In a young lady your age, renal artery narrowing is sometimes a cause.  while you are unlikely to have any complications in the short term, high blood pressure does slow, silent damage that will affect your life in some years.

If your nose bleeds and headaches are frequent and your blood pressure is consistently elevated, I would consider starting treatment earlier and backing down later if I could.

I hope this helps and good luck.  You are ABSOLUTELY correct in not ignoring these numbers.

[tickertock]

Mostly recently, within the last 4-5 years, the systolic reading is found to be of much more importance, whether young or old it is desirable to keep a systolic reading below 135, anything elevated above that number for a long time can be damaging, the new normal is defined as systolic below 120 and diastolic below 80, prehypertensive is 120-139 systolic and 80-89 diastolic, 140/90 is defined as mild hypertension, even mild hypertension left untreated can have detrimental effects, hypertension is not nearly treated aggressively as it should be, I am quoting these numbers and information from a newsletter sent to me quite sometime ago.

[compassion]

I understand how that can be concerning to you. I can tell you what I know and maybe that can ease your worry a little. The bottom number, the diastolic blood pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxed. The systolic blood pressure, the top number, is the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts. Before age 50, diastolic blood pressure is usually the one that doctors are more concerned about. Systolic blood pressure seems to be more of a concern in those over 50 due to risks associated with aging. For example, as we get older we are more at risk for coronary artery disease (stiffening of the arteries, and accumulation of plague) that has built up slowly over time. So when the heart contracts with a high systolic blood pressure and coronary artery disease, the person is more at risk for heart attack or stroke due to greater potential for blood clots. However the coronary artery risk factors associated with aging are a result of are lifestyle choices over time. So now is the time to eat healthy and live a heart healthy lifestyle. Now, there is a concern with systolic hypertension in the general population and thats the risk of left ventricular enlargement due to the heart working harder to pump blood hard enough to overcome such pressure in the arteries. So control of systolic hypertension is still important because heart enlargement is irreversible. The coronary arteries, the arteries that supply the heart with oxygen and blood, fill with blood when the heart is relaxed. It is thought that in those under 50 years of age, the diastolic blood pressure is the most important blood pressure indicator in the risk of coronary artery disease. Hope this helps

[flipflopgirl]

I think your very smart in pursuing this matter further. I was 23 when I first had a few high bp readings..I was in nursing school at the time and ignored it for a while till I too started having headaches, flushing and nosebleeds. My family doctor basically said that my pressure of 175/95 would go away if I just lost some weight. Meanwhile I was already very active and actively losing weight. Long story short, I found a different doctor who prescribed me meds which have worked wonderfully, bp normal and no more nosebleeds etc. I think it's really important for you to be proactive. Your pressure is too high and young or old, over years that is going to do damage...all the best.

[MinnieM]

Too many doctors ignore elevated BP in younger people.  I wish mine had not taken it so lightly and he is still doing it to  his patients, I hear.  I had a heart event due to this.  I will never go back to him and I feel sorry for his patients. Good Luck to you.

[cryingheart]

I would see a doctor RIGHT AWAY. Your heart could be ENLARGED

[asali]

I am a 29 year old male, 6'3, 205lb. I have recently been feeling really strange, started with increased heart rate and some overall general weakness, nausea (butterflies in stomach feeling) loss of appetite, anxiousness and weakness, more so on the left side when at complete rest. I am pretty active, workout 4-5 days week. I was taking fat burning pills pretty frequently for about 4-6 months and 1-2 cups coffee/day. I work out pretty hard in the gym with weights and cardio, watch what I eat also, take multivitamins daily.
I've recently checked my BP at the local drug stores because I heard that the fat burning bills combined with caffeine cause high blood pressure. When I checked 4 weeks back I got readings of 140-143/79. Pulse rate at 125bpm only during that time when I checked it. When I checked my heart rate later it fell back to 68-76 bpm range which is my normal level usually. I've never had any health problems, not on any meds, I don't know if its anxiety that is raising it or not? I've had the full bloods, meds, ECG and everything is normal. My doctor tells me its stress or anxiety? I've returned to my usual activities (not as hard though), cut the caffeine and fat burning pills. My weight is still the same though at about 205lb. My RHR is usually anywhere from 60-80bpm throughout the day and when I workout I keep it in the 130-145 range for about 30-40 minutes of cardio with no problem, before I would be more in the 140-165 range with no problem because of the pills. I do feel aware of the beating when I am at rest which is sometimes uncomfortable. I checked my BP at the drug store again yesterday as I was doing some shopping, I was trying to avoid it as my doctor told me to not to keep checking it especially if you are anxious and it came out as 143/79 again and pulse rate of 125. I heard the Systolic 143 is too high a level for my age but Diastolic of 79 seems to be normal but am not sure if its jumping that many points for the Systolic because I'm so anxious? I keep freaking out that there is something wrong? I am planning on investing on getting a home BP monitor to check it when I am at more ease?