My systolic reading is 154m my dystolic reading is 74. I take blood pressure medication. Lisinopril, 20mg. Is this okay?
Q: Is a high sytolic reading and a normal dystolic reading okay?
Answers (2)
5/28/08 4:28pm
Talk to your doctor. You do not want to base anything on one blood pressure reading. If you regularly monitor your blood pressure and your systolic reading is consistently elevated it is a concern. You want to get both numbers (systolic and diastolic) below 120/80. Is medication the only way you are treating your high blood pressure. If so, making lifestyle changes (increased physical activity, reduced fat diet, limited salt intake, etc.) may make the difference and bring your number down.
Again, speak with your MD.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
Lower Cholesterol, Control High Blood Pressure, Lose Weight
6/11/08 4:21pm
A high systolic blood pressure has been associated with an increase of cardiovascular complications such as stroke and heart attack, even if the diastolic is normal. In fact, a recently published guideline on hypertension classifies a systolic blood pressure (BP) over 140 OR a diastolic BP over 90 as stage 1 hypertension. The first way to treat high blood pressure is to make some important lifestyle modifications including changes in diet, increased physical activity, and weight loss. If that fails then medications are recommended.
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