2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines | Circulation
FAQs You May Have On Blood Pressure And Heart Health
This is where your healthcare team can best guide you, answering common questions about hypertension and your heart. These may include healthy BP levels, certain foods and exercises you can embrace, and how medications or lifestyle changes may affect your blood pressure, heart, and overall health.
Heart Failure Deaths Are Increasing. New Treatments Could Help.
Ann Ramirez first noticed something was wrong when, at age 48, she started waking up in the middle of the night out of breath. It felt like she was underwater, and had to wait for a wave to pass to come up for air.
"It was very scary, because you didn't know how long that wave would last," Ms. Ramirez, now 55, said.
For months, she dismissed the issues as a flare-up of her asthma, anxiety over her father's recent cancer diagnosis or a sign of impending menopause. But when she finally got checked out, a doctor diagnosed Ms. Ramirez with heart failure. Her condition eventually became so severe that she needed a heart transplant.
Heart failure is a condition that occurs when the heart can't pump out enough blood and oxygen to meet the body's needs. Deaths from it have been climbing steadily nationwide since 2012, wiping out earlier declines. Rising rates of metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are likely contributing.
There are medications to treat one of the two main types of heart failure, but they aren't used as much as they should be, doctors said. "The treatments that have been proven in trials to work are not getting prescribed to people in a timely way," said Dr. Janet Wright, the director of the division for heart disease and stroke prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But growing awareness of the condition and its risk factors could change that. And new drugs to treat the other form of heart failure could also change the trajectory for patients with the disease.
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Diastole Vs. Systole: Know Your Blood Pressure Numbers
When you check your blood pressure, you get two numbers. The first, or top, number, is called systolic blood pressure. The second, or bottom, number is called diastolic blood pressure.
These two numbers show how hard your heart works to pump blood throughout your body and how much pressure it puts on your blood vessels. If one or both numbers consistently stay too high, it's called hypertension. It can damage your organs over time and lead to serious health problems.
The difference between systolic pressure and diastolic pressure is that they reflect two different forces during one heartbeat:
Systolic pressure. This is the force against your arteries as your heart squeezes to pump out blood. It's a snapshot of how hard your heart is pumping at that moment
Diastolic pressure. This is the pressure in your arteries as your heart rests and fills with blood to get ready for the next heartbeat.
A healthy balance between your systolic and diastolic pressure helps ease the strain on your heart.
Checking your blood pressure at home helps you keep track of your blood pressure numbers. If either number is too high, it might mean you have hypertension, a condition that can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. (Photo credit: E+/Getty Images)
If either number is too high or too low, it can signal a health problem.
Doctors always check your blood pressure because it offers important information about your overall condition, especially your heart health. High blood pressure, or hypertension, can damage your kidneys and eyes and raise your risk for stroke and heart attacks.
You're more likely to get high blood pressure as you get older. Your arteries may grow stiff or get clogged with fatty plaque. Among Americans aged 60 or older, more than 70% have hypertension. That's three times the rate for adults younger than 40.
While low blood pressure is less common, it can still be dangerous. Also called hypotension, low blood pressure may be caused by:
The good news is that both high and low blood pressure are treatable. Lifestyle changes can help manage hypertension. Regular blood pressure checks are key to catching problems early.
Your blood pressure numbers can go up and down throughout the day, depending on what you are doing. Caffeine, alcohol, smoking, certain medications, and stress are some of the factors that can affect your blood pressure.
Your arteries are like a garden hose. When blood pressure gets too high, it's like pushing water through the hose while pinching it with your fingers. That extra force can cause wear and tear on your blood vessels and require your heart to work harder.
One blood pressure reading isn't always enough to tell if you have high blood pressure. Your doctor may check it multiple times to see if it stays high.
Blood pressure falls into different categories, from healthy to dangerous:
Blood pressure ranges in pregnancy
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers change during pregnancy because hormones relax the blood vessels, which helps more blood reach the baby for healthy growth.
In a healthy pregnancy, blood pressure may follow a pattern:
But if your blood pressure becomes too high, it can cause conditions such as gestational hypertension or preeclampsia. These are serious conditions that require medical care right away.
Blood pressure chart
Use this chart to check your blood pressure levels. If your numbers are high, see your doctor.
Blood Pressure Chart: Systolic and diastolic numbers for heart health and diagnosis.
A doctor or nurse will take your blood pressure with a small gauge attached to an inflatable cuff. It's simple and painless.
The person taking your blood pressure wraps the cuff around your upper arm (or sometimes around your wrist or forearm, though those are less accurate).
Your doctor or nurse will use a stethoscope to listen to the blood flowing through your arteries.
They'll inflate the cuff to a pressure higher than your systolic blood pressure, and it will tighten around your arm. Then, they'll release it. As the cuff deflates, the systolic blood pressure is the first sound they hear through the stethoscope while looking at the gauge. It sounds like a whooshing noise. The point where this noise goes away marks the diastolic blood pressure.
In a blood pressure reading, the systolic number always comes first and then the diastolic number. For example, your numbers may be "120 over 80" or written as 120/80.
Your systolic blood pressure can increase for different reasons, and not all spikes mean you have high blood pressure.
Short-term changes in blood pressure can happen because of stress, caffeine, exercise, or other factors, but they usually return to normal. However, long-term high blood pressure can develop from lifestyle habits or health conditions and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other serious health problems.
Knowing why this happens can help you manage your blood pressure and keep your heart healthy.
Other short-term causes include:
Long-term factors that can lead to high blood pressure include:
When the bottom blood pressure number is too high, it signals a different type of hypertension. Genetics, lifestyle habits, and medical conditions can all play a role in high diastolic blood pressure.
You should identify the factors and take action to lower your risk and prevent serious health problems.
Many factors can cause high diastolic blood pressure, such as:
If your top blood pressure number is high, but your bottom number is in a healthy range, you may have a type of high blood pressure called isolated systolic hypertension (ISH).
For example, this happens when your systolic (top) number is 130 or higher, while your diastolic (bottom) number stays below 80.
Older adults are more likely to have this condition. But it can also appear in younger people with some health conditions.
Some common causes include:
Blood pressure medicine can treat isolated systolic hypertension, but lowering the top number too much may also cause the bottom number to drop too low, posing serious health risks.
Isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH) takes place when the bottom blood pressure number (diastolic pressure) is high, while the top number (systolic pressure) remains within a normal range.
For example, a person with a blood pressure reading of 120/90 has IDH because their diastolic number is 90 or higher, even though their systolic number is normal.
This condition is more common in younger adults and people with health risks such as obesity and metabolic issues.
Several factors may contribute to IDH:
IDH may also be linked to conditions such as chronic kidney disease or thyroid disorders.
A small increase in diastolic blood pressure may not be an immediate health risk, but you should take steps to bring it back to a normal level. Over time, high diastolic pressure can lead to systolic hypertension and increase the risk of heart disease, especially with age.
Hypotension is the medical term for low blood pressure, meaning the force of blood against the artery walls is too weak.
A reading below 90/60 is considered low, but what's low for one person may be ok for another.
Several factors can cause low blood pressure, including:
Low blood pressure can cause various symptoms, including:
If you experience these symptoms frequently, talk to your doctor to find out the cause and the best way to manage them.
Both blood pressure numbers are essential for checking your heart health. But researchers continue to debate how much weight to give each humber.
Research shows that high systolic numbers may predict stroke and heart disease, particularly in people aged 50 or older. However, some studies highlight the importance of diastolic blood pressure in predicting heart disease risk, especially in younger individuals.
Michael Hecht Olsen, MD, a hypertension and cardiovascular prevention professor at the University of Southern Denmark and lead author of a study on mean arterial pressure (MAP) found that MAP, which takes both systolic and diastolic readings into account, is a strong indicator of cardiovascular risk at any age.
MAP represents the average pressure in your arteries during a heartbeat and is calculated using both blood pressure numbers.
Blood pressure has two numbers: systolic (when the heart contracts and pumps blood) and diastolic (when the heart relaxes). High blood pressure raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, while low blood pressure may cause dizziness or fainting. In pregnancy, blood pressure drops in the first two trimesters and returns to normal in the third. Regular blood pressure checks help maintain a safe range, and a healthy lifestyle is crucial for managing your numbers.
Does systolic or diastolic determine blood pressure?
Blood pressure readings have two numbers: systolic and diastolic. The systolic number is the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats, while the diastolic indicates the pressure between beats when your heart relaxes. Both numbers are essential for understanding your heart health.
Is blood pressure higher during systole or diastole?
Blood pressure is higher during systole when the heart squeezes and pushes blood into the arteries.
How do you know if it's systole or diastole?
As the cuff deflates, the first sound you hear through the stethoscope is the systolic blood pressure, the top number in the reading. The sound continues until it stops. This marks the diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number in the reading.
What are ideal blood pressure systole and diastole numbers?
According to the American Heart Association, an ideal and healthy blood pressure means a systolic pressure of less than 120 and diastolic pressure of less than 80.
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