BACKGROUND: According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, about one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure. It's a condition that can lead to heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and other health problems. Blood pressure refers to the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways. High blood pressure itself usually does not have symptoms. In fact, patients can have it for years without knowing it.
WHAT'S A GOOD NUMBER? Blood pressure readings include systolic and diastolic pressures. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. Most often, blood pressure numbers are written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic number. The following table, created by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, illustrates which numbers put you at a greater risk for health problems. The ranges in the table apply to most adults who don't have short-term serious illnesses.
Category | Systolic
(top number) | | Diastolic
(bottom number) |
Normal | Less than 120 | And | Less than 80 |
Pre-hypertension | 120-139 | Or | 80-89 |
Stage 1 -- High Blood Pressure | 140-159 | Or | 90-99 |
Stage 2 -- High Blood Pressure | 160 or higher | Or | 100 or higher |
A NEW WAY TO STAY ON TRACK: Keeping blood pressure under control is difficult for many patients. It often requires the patient to keep track of blood pressure readings and take several different medications. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined patients who monitored their blood pressure from home and received Web-based pharmacist care. Researchers found greater improvement in blood pressure control in those who received the intervention than those who received usual care. The trial included 778 participants ages 25 through 75 who had uncontrolled blood pressure. Care was delivered over a secure patient Web site that allowed them to e-mail their physicians, refill prescriptions, request appointments, get test results and look up health information. Researchers found the addition of Web-based pharmacist care to home blood pressure monitoring and Web training resulted in 25 percent more patients with controlled blood pressure. "It [the study] showed us that a fairly low intensity intervention without clinical visits could get them [patients] under control," says study author Beverly Green, M.D., M.P.H.
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