Blood pressure is a vital indicator of the performance of the cardiovascular system, which can be used to judge the state of the body as a whole. Deviations from the physiological norm signal significant health problems. What is the opinion of doctors about the boundaries of blood pressure indicators?
How is the blood pressure indicator formed?
The blood in the vessels exerts a mechanical effect on their walls. Purely technically there is always pressure in arteries and veins. But when measuring it with a tonometer, other points are also important.
With a contraction of the heart muscle, blood is ejected from the ventricles into the vessels. This impulse creates the so-called "upper", or systolic pressure. Then the blood is distributed through the vessels, and the minimum level of their filling, at which the sound of the heart is heard in the phonendoscope, gives a "lower", or diastolic indicator. So the result is formed - a figure reflecting the state of the body at the moment.
Normal indicators - what should they be?
In the medical environment, there is debate about what indicators to focus on in measuring pressure. Repeatedly compiled norms of blood pressure in adults. The table shows what figures cardiologists and therapists repelled during the USSR period.
The systolic pressure indicator was calculated by the formula:
- 109 + (0.5 x age) + (0.1 x weight),
and the diastolic level is like this:
- 63 + (0.1 x age) + (0.15 x weight).
The lower limit of systolic pressure was considered to be 110 mm Hg. Art., top - 140 mm. All indicators that were outside this framework were taken as pathology. Similarly, the lower limit of diastolic pressure was taken equal to 60 mm RT. Art., top - 90 mm. Putting these numbers together, we get the run of the norm indicators from 110/60 to 140/90. Many physicians and cardiologists of the old school are still guided by this in their medical practice.
Modern views on blood pressure indicators
A little later, on the basis of numerous studies, other norms of blood pressure in adults were derived. The table used in our time, compiled by WHO in 1999. Based on it, the limits of systolic pressure are in the range from 110 to 130 mm RT. Art., diastolic - 65-80 mm. These figures apply primarily to patients under 40 years of age.
Today, there is no consensus among doctors as to which indicators are considered normal and which are pathological. During the examination, they focus on what pressure is normal, "comfortable" for a particular patient, and write down this information from his own words. In the future, when diagnosing and treating, they proceed from this indicator. Figures below 110/60 and above 140/90 will still be considered signs of pathological changes.
Work pressure - what is it?
This expression can be heard in everyday life. The concept of "working" pressure means such indicators at which a person feels comfortable, despite the fact that one of them or both - systolic and diastolic - is significantly increased or decreased. In general, such an attitude towards oneself reflects only the desire to ignore the existing problem.
Cardiologists do not have the concept of “working” patient pressure. Above 140/90 in middle-aged people are classified as hypertension. The justification may be that with age, accumulations of cholesterol are deposited on the walls of blood vessels, narrowing their lumen. There is no clinically serious deterioration, but the risk of developing pathology increases significantly.
Opinions of foreign scientists
In the countries of the post-Soviet space, on the one hand, and in America and Canada, on the other, different approaches have been taken to determine the norm of blood pressure in adults. The table shows how the condition of the patient is classified according to its indicators.
Blood pressure at 130/90 can be considered prehypertension, that is, a condition bordering on the pathology. The level of systolic indicators 110-125 mm Hg, and diastolic - less than 80, is called in the West "the state of rest of the heart." In our country, pressure 130/90 will be considered the norm for physically developed men who are actively involved in sports, or people over 40 years old.
In Western Europe, the approach to the state of the cardiovascular system is similar, but in the scientific literature you can find some data similar to the post-Soviet norms. There is a peculiar look at the norms of blood pressure in adults: the table contains the terms unusual for us - “low normal”, “normal” and “high normal”. For the standard adopted indicator 120/80.
Age changes
The older a person becomes, the more serious changes his vessels and heart muscle undergo. Stress, malnutrition, hereditary predisposition - all this affects the state of health. People with a diagnosed pathology are advised to take blood pressure daily. It is better if the indicators are recorded in a special table. You can also enter data there after measuring your heart rate.
With age, the rate of blood pressure in adults gradually changes. The table and pulse together give objective information about changes in the state of the vessels. If the numbers at some point exceeded the norm normal for the patient, this is not a reason for panic - an increase of 10 mm RT. Art. considered acceptable after exercise, in a state of fatigue, after a long working day. But a steady, for a long time deviation is a sign of a developing pathology.
Should pressure increase with age?
Due to changes in blood vessels that occur due to a decrease in the tone of arteries and deposits of cholesterol on the walls, as well as changes in the work of the myocardium, the age norm of blood pressure in adults is adjusted (table).
For women 40 years old, the average is 127/80, for men it is slightly higher - 129/81. This is because the representatives of the stronger sex, as a rule, can withstand greater physical exertion, and their body weight is greater than that of women, which contributes to increased pressure.
Dynamics of indicators after 50 years
The levels of various hormones, especially steroids, also affect blood pressure. Their content in the blood is unstable, and over the years, during the restructuring of the body, an ever greater imbalance begins to be observed. This affects the heart rate and the fullness of blood vessels. The average norm of blood pressure in women 50 years old shifts upwards and becomes equal to 137/84, and in men of a similar age - 135/83. These are the numbers above which indicators at rest should not rise.
What other factors increase the norm of blood pressure in adults? The table (in women after 50 years old, the risk of developing hypertension is higher, since hormonal changes, the so-called menopause, begin to affect at this age), of course, they cannot all be indicated. The stresses they endured for the body are also important - pregnancy and childbirth (if they were). The statistical likelihood of developing arterial hypertension in a woman older than 50 years is higher than in a man of a similar age category due to the difference in aging processes.
Indicators after 60 years
The trend established in previous years is maintained in the future. The rate of blood pressure in adults continues to increase (table). For women after 60 years, the average value is 144/85, for men - 142/85. The weaker sex is somewhat ahead in terms of growth rates (due to all the same hormonal changes).
After 60 years, normal blood pressure physiologically exceeds the standard values of 140/90, but this is not the basis for the diagnosis of arterial hypertension. Practitioners are largely guided by the health status of elderly patients and their complaints. In addition to measuring blood pressure, a cardiogram is used to monitor the state of the cardiovascular system, on which pathologies are expressed much more clearly than in terms of pressure.
Associated pathologies
In addition to age, a systematic increase in pressure provokes metabolic disorders, kidney disease, bad habits, etc. Smoking provokes narrowing of small vessels, which in the long run causes a decrease in the lumen of large arteries and, as a result, hypertension. In case of impaired renal function, the hormone aldosterone is produced, which also leads to an increase in blood pressure. The risk of hypertension is in diabetics, whose vessels are particularly prone to deposits on the inner walls. Timely detection and prevention of major diseases will help maintain normal pressure and live an active life.
Causes of hypotension
In addition to increasing, many people at a young and older age have a decrease in pressure relative to the norms. If this is a stable indicator, then there is practically no reason for concern. Physiologically low blood pressure can be in miniature girls or in young people with asthenic complexion. Performance is not affected.
If a decrease in pressure occurs suddenly and leads to a worsening of the condition, then this may indicate heart failure, vegetative-vascular dystonia, rhythm disturbances, and even open internal bleeding. With such symptoms, a full examination is urgently needed.
How to track performance?
It is best to have your own blood pressure monitor at home and master the technique of measuring blood pressure. This is a simple procedure, and anyone can learn it. The data obtained should be entered in a diary or table. There you can briefly make notes about your well-being, heart rate, physical activity.
Often arterial hypertension does not manifest itself as external signs until something provokes a crisis - a sharp increase in blood pressure. This condition has many life-threatening consequences, for example, hemorrhagic stroke or heart attack. After 40-45 years, it is advisable to regularly measure pressure. This will help significantly reduce the risk of developing hypertension.