Blood Pressure Chart For Age And Gender

Why Does Blood Pressure Increase With Age

Increase in blood pressure with age is mainly associated with the structural changes in the arteries. As you grow old, your arteries become narrow, stiff, and the level of elastic tissues decreases in your arteries. Narrow arteries lead to an increase in blood pressure.

High blood pressure can damage the walls of the arteries and the heart itself. In most of the cases, high blood pressure is caused due to unhealthy lifestyle, working environment, side effects of certain medications or other conditions such as sleep apnea, kidney disease or thyroid issues.

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Signs And Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure may not have any symptoms and so hypertension has been labeled the silent killer. Longstanding high blood pressure can lead to multiple complications including heart attack, kidney disease, or stroke.

Some people experience symptoms with their high blood pressure. These symptoms include:

• The Feeling of pulsations in the neck or head

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Understanding Blood Pressure Infographic

Having blood pressure outside the normal range puts your health in jeopardy. If its too high, youre at risk of serious medical conditions, including heart attacks and stroke. Blood pressure thats too low can be life-threatening in severe cases.

Regardless, ALWAYS discuss readings and health conditions with your physician to ensure accurate results and the safest actions for your health.

Keep in mind that you can have high blood pressure and not even know it. This silent condition might be doing untold harm to your body. Knowing your numbers is the only way to find out for sure if your blood pressure readings fall within the optimal range, and making smart lifestyle choices is the only way to keep them there!

Stay consistent with your health. Use the infographic below as a reminder and helpful guide to understanding your blood pressure readings. View below or click image for free PDF 🙂

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Tips For Taking Blood Pressure Medication

Untreated high blood pressure can increase your risk of serious health problems. If your doctor prescribes medication to lower your blood pressure, remember:

• If you take blood pressure medication and your blood pressure goes down, it means medication and lifestyle changes are working. If another doctor asks if you have high blood pressure, the answer is, “Yes, but it is being treated.”
• Healthy lifestyle changes may help lower the dosage you need.
• Get up slowly from a seated or lying position and stand for a bit before walking. This lets your blood pressure adjust before walking to prevent lightheadedness and falls.
• Tell your doctor about all the drugs you take. Don’t forget to mention over-the-counter drugs, as well as vitamins and supplements. They may affect your blood pressure. They also can change how well your blood pressure medication works.
• Blood pressure medication should be taken at the same time each day as part of your daily routine. For example, take it in the morning with breakfast or in the evening before brushing your teeth. Talk to the pharmacist if you have any questions about when or how to take your medication.
• Remember to refill your medication before you run out and bring it with you when traveling. Its important to keep taking your medication unless your doctor tells you to stop.
• Before having surgery, ask your doctor if you should take your blood pressure medication on the day of your operation.

Normal Blood Pressure For Children

Normal BP ranges vary in children by age. The University of Iowa Stead Family Childrens Hospital provides this blood pressure chart:

What is considered healthy for your child also varies by height, age, and sex. You can use Baylor College of Medicine’s calculator to see if your childs blood pressure reading is in a healthy range.

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Whats The Impact Of Having High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases such as:

• coronary heart disease where the main arteries that supply your heart become clogged up with plaques
• strokes a serious condition where the blood supply to your brain is interrupted
• heart attacks a serious condition where the blood supply to part of your heart is blocked

Diabetes and kidney disease are also linked to high blood pressure complications.

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Your Blood Pressure Numbers And What They Mean

Your blood pressure is recorded as two numbers:

• Systolic blood pressure indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart beats.
• Diastolic blood pressure indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls while the heart is resting between beats.

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Normal Blood Pressure Range For Women

Do you know high blood pressure is sometimes referred to as a silent condition in women? Women dealing with high blood pressure may not experience any high BP symptoms whatsoever, which is why the name silent condition. Often times symptoms dont appear until the condition has become severe or when the elevated blood pressure has damaged the blood vessels to break. These symptoms include red dark spots in front of the eyes, dizziness, and skin flushing. Women aged 21-25 have the lowest normal diastolic reading , while women aged 31-35 have the lowest normal systolic reading . The age group with the highest normal blood pressure reading in women is between ages 56 and 60 .

Here are a few healthy tips for keeping your blood pressure in the normal range:-1. Exercise, exercise, and exercise 2. Lose excess weight 3. Incorporate a healthy diet 4. Revise your salt intake 5. Ditch smoking and put a brake on alcohol consumption 6. Always have a nutritious breakfast 

Why Is High Blood Pressure A Concern

High blood pressure, or hypertension, directly increases the future risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Heart attack and stroke related to high blood pressure are rare in children and adolescents. Yet, high blood pressure can start without any other signs or symptoms and persist undetected for years if not measured. If undiagnosed high blood pressure exists in childhood, then young adults in their 20s can begin to exhibit harmful effects on their heart and blood vessels that can lead to heart attacks and stroke.

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When Is The Blood Pressure Too High

Blood pressures vary depending on the age of your child, as well as according to his or her height, weight, and gender. For example, an infant may have a quite normal blood pressure of 80/45, while that value in an adult is considered low. A teenager may have an acceptable blood pressure of 110/70, but that value would be of concern in a toddler. Generally, blood pressure is low in infancy, and rises slowly as children age. Boys’ blood pressures are slightly higher than girls’, and taller people generally have higher blood pressures than short people.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has prepared a series of age- and gender-specific blood pressure measurement tables for children ages 1 through 17 years, based on percentiles. A range of blood pressure values is given based on how old and how tall your child is. According to the tables, if your adolescent has a blood pressure that is higher than 90 to 95 percent of other males or females his or her age and height, then he or she may have high blood pressure.

Obtaining Accurate Blood Pressure Measurements:

• Different methods to measure Blood pressure: The mercury sphygmomanometer is the gold standard device for in-office blood pressure measurement
• The Auscultatory method
• The most widely used noninvasive method for measuring blood pressure.
• The preferred method for BP measurement in children
• Korotkoff technique
• Discovered by Dr. Nikolai Korotkov over 100 years ago.
• It involves blocking the brachial artery by inflating a cuff to above systolic blood pressure and gradually deflate to re-establish blood flow.
• The sounds detected by the stethoscope are known as Korotkoff sounds and are generally classified as phases I -V.
• Phase I appears as a tapping sound and corresponds to systolic blood pressure
• Phase V corresponds to diastolic blood pressure .

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When Do You Measure Heart Rate Vs Blood Pressure

You should measure your heart rate when you are at rest and your blood pressure when you are active. Your heart rate is a good indicator of your overall fitness level and can help you gauge how hard you should be working when you are active. Your blood pressure is a good indicator of how much stress your body is under and can help you gauge whether or not you are at risk for hypertension.

How Can You Treat High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure may be treated through regular exercise and lifestyle changes. Physicians suggest the following lifestyle changes

1. Losing excess weight

3. Minimize or stop the intake of alcohol

4. Reduce stress

5. Eating a low-fat and low-sodium diet

6. Eating food rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium like milk and bananas.

7. Engage in stress-relieving exercises and practice meditation

8. Minimize the intake of caffeine

9. Monitor your blood pressure regularly once you get to the age of 35 years.

A physician may also prescribe some medications such as

1. ACE inhibitors

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Checking Your Blood Pressure At Home

Checking your blood pressure at home is easy as long as you have the right equipment. All you need is a quality Blood Pressure Monitor Kit and a few spare minutes.

For more detailed instructions, take a look at our in-depth guide. Also, try to keep these tips in mind:

What Is Normal Blood Pressure By Age

Whats considered normal blood pressure varies by age in children and teens.

In adulthood, the average blood pressures by age and gender are:

Beyond the averages in the blood pressure chart by age and gender above, adult blood pressure falls into one of five categories:

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Healthy And Unhealthy Blood Pressure Ranges

Learn whats considered normal, as recommended by the American Heart Association.

Note: A diagnosis of high blood pressure must be confirmed with a medical professional. A doctor should also evaluate any unusually low blood pressure readings.

The five blood pressure ranges as recognized by the American Heart Association are:

What Is A Good Blood Pressure Target For Elders

Blood pressure often rises with age, but experts agree that lower numbers are better for overall health. Blood pressure is measured in two numbers: systolic and diastolic. The top number is the systolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure caused by the heart contracting and squeezing out blood. The bottom number is diastolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure when the heart relaxes and fills with blood.

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Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure

Most people with high blood pressure dont have any symptoms and arent aware of their condition. Its usually found when you have your blood pressure measured. This may be as part of a health assessment.

If you have high blood pressure and it causes complications, you may get symptoms linked to those. For more information, see our section on complications.

Get a picture of your current health and potential future health risks with one of our health assessments. Find out more about health assessments >

How To Take Blood Pressure

You can take your blood pressure at home using a wrist blood pressure monitor or an upper arm cuff blood pressure monitor. Experts typically recommend upper arm cuffs because they are the most accurate. Upper arm cuffs can come with either a manual or digital monitor. Both work well, but if youre measuring your blood pressure on your own regularly, a digital one will likely be easiest to use correctly.

To take your blood pressure accurately with a digital upper arm cuff, start by sitting quietly in an upright position for a few minutes, allowing your body a moment to relax. Be mindful to uncross your legs and ankles, as well as use comfortable support for your back.

With the monitor sitting on a table in front of you, place your arm next to itat approximately heart leveland place the cuff around your bare upper arm about one inch above your elbow. Secure the cuff so that you can only slide a fingertip under the top edge.

Next, simply turn on the monitor, press the start button, and take normal breaths as the cuff inflates and deflates, measuring your blood pressure and producing your reading on the screen.

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Lifestyle Factors & Changes

The DASH diet is an eating plan that has been shown to lower blood pressure. The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods and low in unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol. To learn more about the DASH diet visit: https://www.dashdiet.org/

To follow the DASH diet, you should eat more vegetables. Choose fresh vegetables with no added salt or sugar. Aim for at least four servings of vegetables per day. Try to eat more whole grains. Choose whole-grain breads, pasta, and rice. Consider eating less sodium. Cut back on foods that are high in sodium, such as cured meats, bacon, sausage, lunch meats, cheeses, gravies, and sauces. Try to also go for more Grass-fed options if you do want to indulge.

Drink less alcohol. If you drink alcohol, limit it to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for senior women. Another life style change would be to exercise regularly. People who exercise regularly tend to have lower blood pressure than those who do not exercise. To get the most benefit from exercise, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week. Moderate-intensity activities include walking, biking, and swimming. You can also break up your exercise into shorter periods of 10 minutes or more.

High Blood Pressure For Older Adults

There are factors like age, gender , family history, and even race that play a role in high blood pressure. People who have excellent habits can get high blood pressure, especially as we age. That is why it is so important to monitor your blood pressure and talk to your doctor if you notice any changes.

Things that help prevent or lower high blood pressure are:

• Keeping a healthy weight

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What Causes High Blood Pressure

The cause of high blood pressure, or hypertension, is often unknown. It develops over time and often happens as a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Occasionally, some people have hypertension caused by an underlying condition, such as kidney disease, adrenal gland tumors or thyroid disorders, says Dr. Wong. Other conditions like pregnancy, diabetes and obesity can also increase your risk.

Some people are susceptible to high blood pressure from certain medications, such as birth control pills, some decongestants and even some over-the-counter pain relievers, says Wong. Illicit drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines may also raise blood pressure.

High blood pressure is extremely common. A 2017 to 2018 survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics found 45.5% of U.S. adults have hypertensionOstchega Y, et al. Hypertension prevalence among adults aged 18 and over: United States, 2017-2018. National Center for Health Statistics. Accessed 7/16/2021. .

What Are The Blood Pressure Guideline Changes

In 2018, the American Heart Association and ten other health organizations updated the blood pressure guidelines. The changes included the following :

• Lowered the blood pressure numbers for diagnosing hypertension to 130/80 mm Hg. The previous guidelines set a threshold of 140/90 mm Hg for people under age 65 and 150/80 mm Hg for people ages 65 and older.
• Eliminated the prehypertension category which was defined as systolic of 120 to 139 mm Hg or diastolic of 80 to 89 mm Hg. Under the new guidelines, this category is split into either elevated blood pressure or Stage 1 hypertension which is 130 to 139 or 80 to 89 diastolic.
• High blood pressure is now classified as Stage 2 hypertension of 140/90 mm Hg. And a hypertensive crisis is anything over 180/120 mmHg.

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