New blood pressure management guidelines have raised the limits before hypertension drugs are recommended for many patients. Under the new guidelines, for most hypertensive individuals 60 years or older, drug treatment is now recommended when the systolic pressure is 150mm Hg or higher or the diastolic pressure is 90mm Hg or higher. For younger patients with high blood pressure and for those with chronic kidney disease or diabetes (regardless of age), treatment should begin when the systolic pressure is 140 or higher or the diastolic pressure is 90 or higher. Previous recommendations placed blood pressure limits at 140/90mm Hg for most hypertensive patients and less than 130/80 mm Hg for patients with chronic kidney disease or diabetes.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common health problem. Many people may not even know they have high blood pressure. Most of the time, high blood pressure has no symptoms. Stop by any of our retail locations to get your blood pressure checked and a free consultation with any of our friendly Med-Fast Pharmacists.
Hint: The new guidelines mentioned above were established jointly by the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC).
