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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Likely Is It That High BP ?

Today at the family planning clinic when the nurse routinely took my blood pressure , she noticed it was high, she retook the reading several times and it came up between 160-174 over 95-99 every time. She tried several things but it didnt seem to bring it down. She did ask me to go back as she said she thought it was a one off but wanted to be sure. How likely is it that high blood pressure like this was just a one off ?? She used both the digital and then the manual to double check and the readings were still just as high I dont drink tea , coffee or fizzy pop and hadnt done anything exercise wise that day , plus beforehand id sat in the waiting room for 30 mins so i cant see any of that affecting it . she just seemed to be really sure it was a one off.
posted on Wed, 16 Dec 2009
Twitter Wed, 16 Dec 2009 Answered on
Twitter Sat, 27 Aug 2011 Last reviewed on
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's  Response
That is high. Optimal BP is <120/80. Single BP readings taken around the same time are never diagnostic. You don't give your age but you do need to see your GP so he can do 24 hour BP monitoring and if positive, do blood work to rule out secondary causes for hypertension- such as hormone and/or kidney problems. Were you at the Family Planning clinic obtaining birth control? If so, is it hormone birth control which you are taking? If your BP is high, you may be asked to switch to a non hormonal birth control like the IUD. Only problem with the IUD is that it can make periods longer, heavier and more painful for some women. The Pill is a problem if you have high BP. The general speech we give out is to reduce sodium in the diet, lose weight if needed, stop smoking and exercise. You should do all this regardless of being hypertensive. It could simply be a one off reading which can be explained by the 'white coat effect'. Both Cochrane and NICE studies support the the fact that having high blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular events later in life.
General & Family Physician,  Dr. Ramesh M.Vachharajani's  Response
Hi,
Thanks for query,
It is funny,How diastolic pressure can be more than systolic ?
It is always less then systolic.
The person taking bp should know which systolic and which is diastolic.
Ok and bye.
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How Likely Is It That High BP ?

That is high. Optimal BP is 120/80. Single BP readings taken around the same time are never diagnostic. You don t give your age but you do need to see your GP so he can do 24 hour BP monitoring and if positive, do blood work to rule out secondary causes for hypertension- such as hormone and/or kidney problems. Were you at the Family Planning clinic obtaining birth control? If so, is it hormone birth control which you are taking? If your BP is high, you may be asked to switch to a non hormonal birth control like the IUD. Only problem with the IUD is that it can make periods longer, heavier and more painful for some women. The Pill is a problem if you have high BP. The general speech we give out is to reduce sodium in the diet, lose weight if needed, stop smoking and exercise. You should do all this regardless of being hypertensive. It could simply be a one off reading which can be explained by the white coat effect . Both Cochrane and NICE studies support the the fact that having high blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular events later in life.