You Have PreHypertension – Now What?

So you visit the doctor’s office for what you think is just another routine physical. They take your blood pressure which has always been normal. Then you are told you have prehypertension. “What in the world is this?” you wonder. You have heard of high blood pressure (aka hypertension) but this is a new term for you. What do you do now?

Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing on the walls of the arteries as it moves through the body. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines normal blood pressure as less than 120/80. The top number is systolic (pressure when the heart contracts) and the bottom number is diastolic (pressure when the heart relaxes).

Prehypertension is when blood pressure falls between hypertension and normal. It is defined as systolic blood pressure of 120–139 OR diastolic blood pressure of 80-89. A blood pressure higher than this is considered hypertension.

A blood pressure that is too high makes the heart work too hard and contributes to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). It also increases the risk of heart disease, kidney failure and stroke. In the past blood pressure in the 120-139/80-89 rang was considered borderline high. This term has been changed to prehypertension in order to emphasize the significance of these numbers. Any blood pressure reading above 120/80 raises your risks and the risks increase as blood pressure increases. The term prehypertension has been adopted to highlight this is a significant condition that needs to be taken seriously and a person with prehypertension should explore possible lifestyle changes.

If left untreated, prehypertension will worsen and become hypertension. Also, both prehypertension and hypertension have no symptoms. The only way to detect either is through blood pressure monitoring. It is routine for doctors to check your blood pressure at each visit. It is also a good idea to check it yourself with a good home blood pressure monitor and track it using a blood pressure log.

If you are diagnosed with prehypertension (or hypertension) there are things you can do to keep it under control. These include:

• Eat a healthy diet – Follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.
• Maintain a healthy weight – Even a small weight loss of 5 to 10 pounds can improve your blood pressure
• Increase activity – regular physical activity is essential to lower blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight. I recently heard someone say “The less you do, the less you will be able to do as you age.”
• Reduce sodium in your diet – It is recommended to keep sodium intake to less than 2400 mg per day.
• Limit alcohol – No alcohol is best but no more than one drink daily for women and two drinks daily for men.

In conclusion, prehypertension is an indicator of increased health risk and usually worsen to hypertension. If this happens you will likely need prescription medications to control your blood pressure. Lifestyle modifications can lower blood pressure and prevent or delay progression to hypertension. Home blood pressure monitoring can play a role in helping you keep your blood pressure under control. Taking prehypertension seriously may prevent or delay the use of blood pressure medications to control your blood pressure.

For more information about lifestyle modifications you can read our previous post in September 2009. http://pharmerdon.wordpress.com/2008/09/

For more information on home blood pressure monitoring you can read our previous post form October 2008. http://pharmerdon.wordpress.com/2008/10/

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