In most of the death cases worldwide, the causes are mostly concerning strokes or heart diseases. Surveys in the United States show a significant amount of 600.000 people that die from heart disease every year. The number of cases that can be prevented – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is just a quarter.
The Key to Controlling Blood Pressure
To better analyze and survey the blood pressure, we have to follow the blood pressure readings. The tests are measuring the blood pressure by two criteria: systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Both the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure show something. The systolic pressure will tell us the pressure that blood has put on the arteries while the heart is beating, and the diastolic pressure reveals the pressure of the flowing blood between the beats. The recommended numbers accepted by the American Heart Association (AHA) are below 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury).
An individual with readings ranging from 120 to 129 mm Hg systolic pressure and less than 80 mm Hg diastolic pressure, the said individual has increased blood pressure. The Hypertension settles in when the systolic blood pressure is consistently above 130 mm Hg, and the diastolic pressure is higher than 80 mm Hg.
Systolic or Diastolic? Which is the Most Relevant?
In most cases, the doctors always give more interest to the systolic blood pressure, as it is considered a risk factor for older adults of having cardiovascular diseases. The researches of the past show that greater importance for determining heart diseases had systolic pressure, yet new studies found that both the numbers are associated with heart attacks or stroke risks.
The study was led by researchers at Kaiser Permanente, a health company residing in Oakland, CA, and appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The readings from the study were 36 million blood pressure readings, taken from about 1.3 million individuals. The readings showed great importance for both the numbers, compared to the old studies where only the systolic blood pressure mattered.
