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May 8, 2011
By Muireann Prendergast, Associate Editor
and Featured Columnist and Editors, CollectiveWizdom
High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the leading health
problems in the United States. It affects 1 in 3 people, according to
figures released by the Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and can result in stroke and heart attack. So how do
you know if you have high blood pressure? What is normal blood
pressure range for your age?
What is High Blood Pressure?
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, a part of the National
Institutes of Health, defines blood pressure as the force of blood
against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps the blood. When
the rate at which this happens increases over time it is called high
blood pressure or hypertension.
Blood pressure is measured using special numbers. These include
systolic and diastolic pressures. Systolic blood pressure is the
pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. Diastolic blood
pressure is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats.
The most worrying feature of high blood pressure is that it has no
symptoms. You might be suffering from it without even knowing it.
But, silently, it can be damaging the main organs of your body.
Causes of High Blood Pressure
The causes of hypertension are various. A 2011 study carried out
jointly by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and
Kent State University looked at the link between high salt intake and
elevated blood pressure. The study found that high salt levels in the
blood impeded the cardiovascular system from simultaneously
regulating blood pressure levels and body temperature. High blood
pressure is the result of this. (Find out how much is too much salt.)
A 2010 Indian study undertaken at SRMS Institute of Medical
Sciences found that hereditary factors also play a role particularly
through the maternal lineage. Race also plays a role in the
development of high blood pressure. The 2003 Consensus Statement
of the Hypertension in African Americans Working Group of the
International Society on Hypertension in Blacks carried out by
researchers in universities across the United States explained that
high blood pressure is more common with African-Americans than in
the Caucasian population. Factors propelling blood pressure levels in
African-Americans are low birth weight, common hereditary illnesses
like diabetes, heart conditions as well as increased tendencies
towards fatty diets, smoking and obesity among other factors.
Abnormalities in the arteries such lack of elasticity also play a role in
the development of high blood pressure according to a 2004 Chinese
study undertaken at Beijing Children's Hospital.
Is There A Normal Blood Pressure Range?
What constitutes normal blood pressure varies somewhat with your
age. If you are between the ages of 20 and 40, then ‘normal’ blood
pressure range for the 20 – 40 age group is 120mm Hg systolic
pressure and 80mm Hg diastolic pressure or 120/80mmHg,according
to many studies such as one led by researchers at Cardiographic
Department of Mount Sinai Hospital in 1950.
However, many factors can cause blood pressure to fluctuate.
Women for example can have higher blood pressure levels than men
for various reasons. Being pregnancy or taking oral contraceptives
can raise your estrogen levels, which in turn can raise your blood
pressure levels. This thesis was studied in a 2003 publication by the
University of Leuven of Belgium. Findings suggested that large
arteries may become more constricted during menopause resulting in
higher blood pressure but that more studies were required to
corroborate this.
Also, blood pressure readings can change during the day. Your
blood pressure is usually lower at night while you are sleeping that it
is first thing when you wake up explores a 2002 German study
carried out at Cloppenburg’s St.Josefs Hospital.
Moreover, it is normal for blood pressure to increase over time as a
2005 Canadian study from at the Université de Montréal explains.
This is caused by a reduction in elasticity or stiffening of artery walls
during vascular ageing. This study found that stiffening of large
arteries increases pulse wave velocity and widens pulse pressure
resulting in a prevalence of hypertension with age.
So what is approximate ideal blood pressure range for your age? We
have culled all existing medical authorities and research studies to
generate the following chart, which presents the minimum, average
and maximum blood pressure ranges for each decade of your life.
You'll note that after age 70, the recommended ranges for men and
women diverge sharply, based on studies published by the American
Heart Association:
Sources:The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey
Farmington Health Study
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
American Heart Association, "Hypertension" , Report, 1986," Age-
related changes in blood pressure", S. Landahl, C. Bengtsson, J.A.
Sigurdsson, A. Svanborg and K.Svardsudd
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