High blood pressure has been known to contribute to heart attacks and strokes and other forms of early death even before we could actually measure it. The ability to actually measure blood pressure came along when the Sphygmomanometer was invented by Scipione Riva-Rocci (leave it to the Italians), but even before we could actually measure the pressures and discover the two parts to the blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) learned men and physicians had already made the association between a “hard pulse” (China), and a disease of the arteries. But it wasn’t until Sir William Harvey described the circulation of the blood was the foundation for understanding blood pressure begun.
The first thing to be discovered was the two parts; the systolic and the diastolic parts to blood pressure. The Systolic is the actual pressure produced by the heart and carried by the arteries. While the Diastolic we learned was the rebound or the residual pressure when the heart relaxed and the valves closed. Quickly, we learned that too high of a systolic pressure led to the diseases we still associate with hypertension. Kidney disease, heart disease and strokes were the obvious first associations made with hypertension but it was many years before any effective treatments came along. Initially “mild benign hypertension” with systolic pressures above 210 was considered a compensatory mechanism and should not be treated.
Initially the mid 1900s many therapies primarily consisting of blood letting and leaches were used to lower blood pressure but none were effective. It wasn’t until the mid 1900’s that actual medications were developed to actually lower blood pressure but the side effects were not tolerated. Finally in the 1980’s through today have blood pressure medications finally solved the two major issues; They actually worked, and there were actually few, if any side effects.
Volumes can be written about hypertension; the real take-away is simple:
As long as a blood pressure is less than 200/180 the following is true.
- You cannot feel your own blood pressure
- Your blood pressure wont make you feel tired or dizzy or short of breath
- You should not feel any different when you take your blood pressure medication or when you forget.
- Your blood pressure is defined as the ‘Best your body can do”, It is supposed to go up with exercise, emotions, stress, or pain.
- Your meaningful blood pressure is taken first thing in the morning, before any caffeine, bad news, driving in traffic, arguing with your children, or doing any stressful undertakings. Then, and only then does your blood pressure mean something and a decision by your doctor can be made whether or not to treat it or not. Secondly, a diagnosis of hypertension is NEVER made with only one reading. It takes at least Three readings on separate days, ALL of which must be abnormal. Do not obsess on taking readings after readings and then presenting your doctor with page after page of hourly readings. He will think you are OCD and prescribe a different medication entirely.
Notice we haven’t said anything about the diastolic pressures. The reason is simple. It follows the systolic and has no real meaning by itself. An “abnormal” diastolic reading with a normal systolic reading simply means, take it again. The person was probably talking or moving during the exam and you just need to repeat it.
