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High blood pressure damages the lining of the blood vessels and accelerates hardening of the arteries throughout the body. This, in turn, can lead to a variety of health issues, such as cerebrovascular disease, heart attack and peripheral vascular disease, among others. These are cholesterol-related complications that people often think of when ...
Another possible cause for low diastolic blood pressure is extremely stiff arteries. Very often, around 55 to 60 years of age, arteries begin to lose some of their flexibility. That can increase systolic blood pressure and cause discordantly low diastolic blood pressure. In some cases, however, stiff arteries could be a symptom of vascular disease.
In some cases, the systolic blood pressure may be high while the diastolic reading is low. Atherosclerosis — a condition in which fat (plaque) builds up in and on artery walls — can stiffen blood vessels and have the same effect on blood pressure. Thus, many older patients can have both a high systolic and a low diastolic blood pressure.
In postmenopausal women, the blood vessels do constrict robustly to norepinephrine. Additionally, the fight or flight nerves fire faster than in young women. This explains, in part, why blood pressure rises in many women around the time of menopause. It also explains why, by age 65 or 70, more women have high blood pressure than men.
Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers. The upper number, the systolic blood pressure, measures force on artery walls when the heart beats. The bottom number, the diastolic blood pressure, measures force when the heart relaxes. The American Heart Association says an optimal blood pressure is less than 120 over 80.
The goal is to maintain a blood pressure of 120/80 millimeters of mercury, but, for many women, that gets harder to do as they age. In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Michael Joyner, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist, explains the connection between estrogen and blood pressure levels in women. Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute
Nearly all birth control pills, patches and vaginal rings come with warnings that high blood pressure may be a side effect. The risk of high blood pressure is greater if you're older than age 35, overweight or a smoker. Not all women will have increased blood pressure from using hormonal birth control.
When they slept four hours, study participants had an average systolic blood pressure reading (top number) during the night that was 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) higher than during the nine-hour sleep phase. In addition, the usual blood pressure dip that occurs at night wasn't as pronounced when they were sleep deprived.
The type of high blood pressure you describe, known as isolated high systolic blood pressure, is often seen in older adults. It is most common in people whose arteries have lost their elasticity due to aging or diabetes. This condition is called hardening of the arteries. Without treatment, high systolic blood pressure can raise your risk of ...
Readings consistently ranging from 120–129 systolic and less than 80 mmHg diastolic. Hypertension stage 1 Readings ranging from 130–139 systolic or 80–89 mmHg diastolic. Hypertension stage 2 Readings consistently ranging at 140/90 mmHg or higher. High blood pressure is harmful because it makes the heart work harder and less efficiently ...