Blood pressure suddenly 140/90 is high blood pressure? Do you want to take antihypertensive drugs? heart doctor explain

The blood pressure suddenly rises to 140/90, first of all, there is no need to be nervous, and a blood pressure of 140/90 cannot be said to be high blood pressure. But at least it should be taken seriously.

The blood pressure suddenly rises to 140/90. There are two possibilities for this sudden increase. One is that the blood pressure has not been measured for a long time. Suddenly one day a blood pressure measurement is found and the blood pressure is 140/90, so I feel nervous. There is also a sudden long-term monitoring of blood pressure, which has always been normal, below 120/70, and suddenly it is 140/90.

1. Suddenly discovered

If a person does not measure blood pressure for a long time, for example, he measured his blood pressure at 120/70 a few years ago, and now he measures his blood pressure at 140/90. That's even more unsurprising, because the occurrence and development of every disease has a process, and hypertension is no exception. Just because you didn't have high blood pressure half a year ago doesn't mean you won't have high blood pressure half a year later. No one is born with high blood pressure, it is gradually caused by various reasons.

1. First diagnose whether you have high blood pressure

The current blood pressure is 140/90, and high blood pressure cannot be diagnosed. The current guidelines stipulate that in the diagnosis of high blood pressure, only one consultation room with high blood pressure cannot diagnose high blood pressure. Usually 2 to 3 office measurements at 1 to 4 week intervals (depending on blood pressure level) are needed to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension. That is to say, the blood pressure is found to be 140/90, and further observation is needed to rule out other factors interfering with the temporary rise in blood pressure, such as agitation, staying up late, holding back urine, cold, even talking, crossing the legs, etc. can all lead to high blood pressure values.

In addition, in the absence of antihypertensive drugs, the office blood pressure must be measured 3 times on different days, high pressure ≥ 140mmHg and (or) low pressure ≥ 90mmHg to diagnose hypertension.

2. Whether it is high blood pressure or not, it must be controlled in this way

According to the above measurement method, if it is ≥140/90, it is high blood pressure, which belongs to grade 1 hypertension. If it does not exceed 140/90, but it is 130-139/85-89, it is also a normal high value, and it does not belong to normal blood pressure or ideal blood pressure.

For grade one hypertension or high normal value, regular blood pressure reduction is required. Of course, lowering blood pressure does not mean taking antihypertensive drugs, but a healthy lifestyle, such as weight control, low-salt diet, reducing staying up late, reducing stress, exercising regularly, staying away from tobacco and alcohol, etc., can all lower blood pressure. Through these methods, the blood pressure should be lowered to below 130/80 as much as possible. This is our goal.

2. Sudden increase

There is also a sudden increase, that is, the blood pressure is often measured at ordinary times, and the blood pressure is below 120/70, but suddenly the blood pressure is 140/90, which is indeed a bit high.

1. It is recommended to rule out the problem of the sphygmomanometer. It is recommended to measure repeatedly, or change to another sphygmomanometer for further judgment.

2. Exclude insufficient preparation before measurement, such as after exercise, after excitement, after staying up late, after insomnia, after holding back urine, after drinking, etc. will cause blood pressure to rise.

3. Exclude inaccurate measurement methods. For example, in a cold environment, blood pressure can increase by 5-23 mmHg; when rest is insufficient, blood pressure can increase by 4-11 mmHg; if you cross your legs, blood pressure can increase by 2-15 mmHg; If you speak during blood pressure, your blood pressure will increase by 5-19 mmHg; if the cuff is deflated too quickly, your diastolic blood pressure will increase by 2.1-6.3 mmHg; if your upper arm is lower than the heart level, your blood pressure will increase by 3.7-23 mmHg.

4. If there are none of the above reasons, there is another possibility, secondary blood pressure increase, of course, this possibility is small, because most secondary hypertension, blood pressure will be relatively high, generally below 160/100, such as Pheochromocytoma, some renal hypertension, etc. But these high blood pressures are characterized by a sudden increase, and they will return to normal without taking medicine for a short period of time.

In short, it is not a bad thing to suddenly find that the blood pressure is 140/90. Because if it is borderline high blood pressure, at least we should pay attention to it and control it with an active and healthy life. It is better than not discovering high blood pressure for many years until cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, heart failure, or myocardial infarction.

Again, 140/90 at one time cannot diagnose high blood pressure. We need further scientific measurements to confirm whether it is high blood pressure or not. But whether it is high blood pressure or not, you must start living a healthy life from now on!