ANAHEIM, CA. -- On November 13, new guidelines were released during the annual convention of the American Heart Association, attended by 15000+ doctors from all over, with about 30 Filipino physicians in attendance. The American College of Cardiology concurred completely with the new guidelines.
Hypertension or high blood pressure has traditionally been defined as 140/90 mm Hg and above for measures of systolic - the higher number - and diastolic-lower number - blood pressures. With that definition, about 1/3 of US adults, roughly 73 million and 20 percent of Filipinos - tip of the iceberg phenomenon - are hypertensive.
The new guidelines move the threshold for hypertension to a reading of 130/80 mm Hg and above, which now raises the number of affected persons to significantly high levels. Everybody knows- public knowledge- that the optimal or ideal blood pressure for adults is 120/80 mm Hg or below. The higher number-systolic - measures pressure or force exerted by the flowing blood on the walls of blood vessels-arterial - when the heart beats, while the lower number-diastolic measures blood pressure in between heart beats.
Hypertension, which increases in prevalence as people get older is a major risk factor for heart attack, strokes and kidney failure , which for the most part lead to dialysis. Most of those affected are younger folks; the prevalence of high blood pressure is expected to triple in men under age 45 and double in women age 45. Dr. Paul Whelton, guideline-committee chairman, professor at Tulane University, New Orleans says that " this time, the evidence is strong we need to lower blood pressure to 130/80"
The new guidelines eliminate the old category, "prehypertension" that was used to define systolic pressures between 120 to 139 and diastolic pressure between 80 to 89. Those who are under or within these numbers are urged to try healthier lifestyle first, lose weight, change diets- low salt, low fat, low sugar- and exercise more.
Cheers to an ideal healthy blood pressure!