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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, March 19, 2010
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, March 19, 2010
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High Blood Pressure |
Diastolic hypertension treatment yes or no12/07/2006 |
I´m 46 years old man and think I have isolated diastolic hypertension since at least 20 years (sportly active, 180 cm, 102 kg). In the last year I tried first to lower my diastolic blood pressure, because my IVS thickness was elevated (14 mm). Treatment options with CEB, Sartans, ß-Blocker, ACE-Inhibitors(each alone and in combination) were not satisfying because of a lot of adverse effects, with no significant diastolic blood pressure normalisation. So what should I do: 1. combine more than two different drugs, feel bad and terminate my activities in sports or 2. tolerate the diastolic hypertension without medication, feel better, do sports and wait for the consequences.
The risk of cardiovascular events (heart disease and stroke) is much more closely linked to the systolic blood pressure than the diastolic levels. In people under age 50, the diastolic pressure carries some risk, but this risk disappears after age 50.
In the older age group, the pulse pressure (systolic minus diastolic) becomes the best predictor of risk. This leads to the paradoxical finding that, at any given sytolic blood pressure, the lower the diastolic, the greater the risk.
The diastolic blood pressure cannot be treated independently, i.e. without also lowering the systolic pressure. In your situation, as long as your systolic blood pressure stays around 120, you can safely ignore your diastolic pressure.
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Max C. Reif, MD Director, Hypertension Section Division of Nephrology & Hypertension Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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