A lot of people think that 120 over 80 indicates a normal blood pressure and if the blood pressure is higher or lower than this value, the person usually consult his/her physician. However, it appears that the value that has been considered a high blood pressure until now is no longer the case. Namely, according to the ESC Association there are new guidelines according to which a normal blood pressure is 140/90.
However, this doesn’t apply for diabetics and elder people in who the limit is 130 over 80. Previously, people thought that they have a high blood pressure when their blood pressure is 139/89 and start taking medications. Nonetheless, since this isn’t the case anymore, you shouldn’t be afraid if your blood pressure has the abovementioned values because it doesn’t increase your risk of stroke or heart attack.
Low blood pressure is when the systolic blood pressure is less than 90 mmHg or when the diastolic one is less than 60 mmHg. If you have an extremely low blood pressure, that is, less than 80/50 mmHg or if you experience a sudden drop in blood pressure, you need to consult your physician for further tests and treatment.
When undiagnosed and left untreated for a longer period of time, both high and low blood pressure can lead to numerous other health problems. Therefore, consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to establish the main reason for your blood pressure problems and then address them adequately and avoid more serious health consequences.
