Signed,
Pumping

Dear Pumping,

With all the health recommendations out there, it can be tough to keep the numbers straight. The cutoff point or "magic number" to remember for normal blood pressure is 120/80. It's not really important how far apart the two numbers are, but whether or not each one is within the healthy range.

The first number of a blood pressure reading is the systolic pressure, when the heart is pumping. The second or bottom number is the diastolic blood pressure, when the heart is relaxed between beats. The units, mmHg, simply stand for millimeters of mercury. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLB), healthy adults over age 18 should have a blood pressure measurement that's less than 120/80. If your systolic measurement is over 120 mm Hg or your diastolic measurement is over 80 mm Hg, then you have an increased risk of high blood pressure, also known as HBP or hypertension. This chart from the NHLB summarizes the different blood pressure categories:

Category	Systolic in mmHg (top number)		Diastolic in mmHg (bottom number)
Normal	Less than 120	and	Less than 80
Prehypertension	120 to 139	or	80 to 89
Stage 1 HBP	140 to 159	or	90 to 99
Stage 2 HBP	160 or higher	or	100 or higher

In your example, a measurement of 143/73 falls in the category of Stage 1 HBP. However, this isn't necessarily cause for alarm. Blood pressure readings can vary depending on factors such as stress, excitement, anxiety, and setting. Therefore, health professionals recommend that you calculate your blood pressure from an average of three readings on separate days. For a more precise picture of your health, get a few more readings and then ask your provider if your results show the possibility of a problem with hypertension.

Approximately 95 percent of hypertension cases come from unknown causes, but most tend to involve many factors, including diet, obesity, alcohol abuse, physical and emotional stress, environment, and psychological and genetic factors. Most of the factors can be altered, which is how people are able to lower their blood pressure with advice from a health professional and some lifestyle changes.

For some more information on hypertension and blood pressure, check out past Go Ask Alice! questions Hypertension and Normal blood pressure. To discuss your blood pressure with a clinician at Columbia's Primary Care Medical Services, call x4-2284 or log on to Open Communicator. If you're not at Columbia, you can find more specific information about hypertension by visiting the Mayo Clinic website or by visiting your health care provider.

Here's to keeping your heart healthy, whether you're pumping iron or pumping up a blood pressure cuff.  

Alice

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