It’s natural that all of us panic when we see our near and dear ones ailing with some disease or the other. Perhaps, high blood pressure or hypertension is one of the common conditions which lead to worries. When the blood force against your artery walls is higher than normal, it is referred to as high blood pressure (HBP). And then, eventually, if the pressure remains for a longer duration it may leave grounds for health issues. Cardiac and kidney problems, diabetes and dementia are some of those. If not controlled, HBP can also damage and weaken your blood vessels in the brain.
Normal Reading
When you have a reading of more than 120/80mmHg and less than 140/90mmHg, your blood pressure is normal. So, we need to maintain this level and adopt remedies if any abnormality is diagnosed. However, as per reports, experts are still debating on this subject. Generally, physicians mostly advise older people and patients to keep a check on their blood pressure. This is to ensure that it may not show the way to hypertension which is more risky. It can also cause strokes or blindness.
New Findings
Evidently, new findings regarding HBP have been made. And it’s joyous as well as astonishing to hear about the positive impacts of HBP. Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany conducted a study. It proposed that high blood pressure may not have a negative effect on older adults. Moreover, it suggested that HBP can instead benefit those in their eighties.
The Journal, European Heart published the results of the study. Data of 1628 male and female participants was collected. All were on antihypertensive treatments with an average age of eighty one years. Then their health status was monitored after every 2 years including blood pressure check up. A statistical analysis was conducted after the 6th year to know the connectivity between blood pressure and risk of deaths. It considered factors relating to it like effect of drugs, sexual intercourse, height and weight, eating habits, etc.
Shocking Results
Definitely, it was shocking to find out that forty percent of higher mortality risk prevailed amongst people aged 80 and above having lower blood pressure, 140/90 mm Hg or below than those having HBP. The research team highlighted the point that people with low blood pressure, although on antihypertensive medication, can have increased risk of mortality upto sixty one percent.
First study author, Antonios Douros noted, “Our results show clearly that, within these groups of patients, antihypertensive treatment should be adjusted based on the needs of the individual.”
Co-author,Prof. Elke Schäffner concluded the study by stating that as a next step, they wanted to examine that in reality, which groups of patients can derive advantage from antihypertensive treatments.
In-depth Knowledge Still Required
Apparently, specialists are still aiming to obtain through knowledge of remedies that can lower blood pressure and check when they can be beneficial.
So, until we get a clear idea about the pros and cons of HBP, it’s essential to monitor our blood pressure every now and then. Especially when we experience severe headache, chest pain, eyesight issues, fatigue, pounding heartbeat,etc, we need to keep a check. And of course, the best method to avoid diseases is a healthy diet. Whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables consumption is beneficial. Control on saturated fat and cholesterol can help in lowering blood pressure.