Recognize High Blood Pressure Symptoms Before They Get the Best of You

Will your first "symptom" of high blood pressure be the reading on the medical instrument in the doctor's office or the reading on the medical instrument in the emergency room?

According to the American Heart Association, a person has a measurable symptom of high blood pressure when his or her systolic pressure is at least 140 mm Hg or their diastolic pressure is at least 90 mm Hg. The measurement is done with a medical instrument called a sphygmomanometer. The unit of measurement stands for millimeter of mercury (with Hg being the chemical symbol for mercury). The systolic pressure, which measures the blood flow in the arteries when the heart is beating, is the upper number. The diastolic pressure, which measures the blood flow in the arteries when the heart is resting, is the lower number. Another name for high blood pressure is hypertension.

The American Heart Association and doctors that I have consulted, state that the ideal blood pressure measurement is less than 120 systolic mm HG and less than 80 diastolic mm Hg. Treatment varies when a patient has readings that are in between these high and low numbers. Some doctors prescribe diet modification and more exercise, with a re-check to see if the blood pressure has come down. Other doctors are more aggressive and start the patient on medication before the blood pressure symptoms reach the higher numbers. All medical sources agree that there is a risk of high blood pressure when the systolic and diastolic measurements are higher than 120 over 80 and that those symptoms should not be ignored.