Is my blood pressure suddenly 140/90 high blood pressure? Do you want to take antihypertensive drugs? cardiologist explaining

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

My blood pressure suddenly rises to 140/90. There are two possibilities. One is that I haven't measured my blood pressure for a long time. Suddenly, one day my blood pressure is measured and it is 140/90. I feel nervous. There is also a sudden long-term monitoring of blood pressure, which has always been normal, all below 120/70, and suddenly 140/90.

A sudden discovery

If a person does not measure blood pressure for a long time, for example, blood pressure was measured 120/70 years ago, and blood pressure is measured 140/90 now. That's not surprising, because the occurrence and development of every disease is a process, and hypertension is no exception. Just because you didn't have high blood pressure six months ago doesn't mean you won't have high blood pressure six months later. No one is born with high blood pressure, it is gradually caused by various reasons.

1. First, it is necessary to diagnose whether there is high blood pressure

At present, the blood pressure is 140/90, and high blood pressure cannot be diagnosed. The current guidelines stipulate that in terms of diagnosing high blood pressure, there is only one high blood pressure in the office, and high blood pressure cannot be diagnosed. Usually 2-3 in-office measurements are required every 1-4 weeks (depending on blood pressure level) to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension. That is to say, it is found that the blood pressure is 140/90, and further observation is needed to rule out the temporary increase of blood pressure caused by interference of other factors, such as excitement, staying up late, holding back urine, cold, even talking, and tilting the legs, etc., which will cause the blood pressure to be high.

Moreover, in the absence of antihypertensive drugs, the blood pressure in the office should be measured three times on different days, and the high pressure ≥ 140mmHg and (or) the low pressure ≥ 90mmHg can be diagnosed as 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 hypertension, which belongs to grade 1 hypertension. If it's not over 140/90, but at 130-139/85-89, that's also high normal and not normal or ideal blood pressure.

For first-degree hypertension or high normal values, regular blood pressure reduction is required. Of course, 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, insisting on exercise, staying away from tobacco and alcohol, etc., which can lower blood pressure. Through these methods as much as possible to reduce blood pressure below 130/80, this is our goal.

2. Sudden rise

There is also a sudden increase, that is, the blood pressure is often measured, 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, and it is recommended to measure repeatedly, or change a sphygmomanometer to measure for further judgment.

2. Insufficient preparation before the measurement is excluded, such as after exercise, after agitation, after staying up late, after insomnia, after holding back urine, after drinking alcohol, etc., which will lead to increased blood pressure.

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 talk during blood pressure, blood pressure will increase by 5-19 mmHg; if the cuff is deflated too quickly, diastolic blood pressure will increase by 2.1-6.3 mmHg; if the upper arm is below the level of the heart, 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, partial renal hypertension, etc. However, the characteristics of these good high blood pressures are sudden increases, and they will return to normal without taking medicine for a short period of time.

In conclusion, suddenly finding a blood pressure of 140/90 is not a bad thing. Because if it is borderline high blood pressure, at least we should pay attention to it. Active and healthy life to control it is better than not finding high blood pressure for many years, until cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, heart failure, and myocardial infarction.

Again, a 140/90 does not diagnose high blood pressure. We need further scientific measurements to diagnose whether it is high blood pressure. But whether you have high blood pressure or not, you must start a healthy life now!