High Diastolic Blood Pressure: What it Means

You can have high diastolic blood pressure without having high systolic blood pressure. To understand high diastolic blood pressure you need to know what it is and what the normal readings are. When you understand this, it’s easier to understand what is going on with your body and what changes you may need to make to your lifestyle. High diastolic blood pressure doesn’t have to be a negatively life altering experience, but treating it is the only way to prevent an adverse outcome.

Understanding High Diastolic Blood Pressure

To understand high diastolic blood pressure you need to understand what the diastolic reading is measuring. Diastolic blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats. The diastolic blood pressure is usually lower than the systolic blood pressure because the pressure in the arteries is less between beats than it is when the heart is beating.

High diastolic blood pressure is basically an elevation in the measurement of the pressure in the veins between heartbeats. Any rise above 80 mm Hg is usually considered elevated and a doctor may want to track the blood pressure to be sure that the blood pressure measurements return to normal over time.

Every rise in diastolic pressure of 10mm or more doubles the risk of adverse effects of high blood pressure. When high diastolic blood pressure goes unchecked it can cause a lot of problems such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and even heart failure. A rise in diastolic blood pressure can be more significant and negatively impact the body more than a rise in systolic blood pressure.

In patients whose age is less than 50, the diastolic blood pressure reading is more important in predicting negative outcomes associated with high blood pressure. Unfortunately, it is people this age who often have high blood pressure but do not know it, so it goes untreated leading to adverse outcomes later on in life.

In people ages 50-59 the systolic blood pressure becomes a more important indicator, and in patients over 60 the pulse pressure becomes more important. Any time you have high diastolic blood pressure you should pay attention, but it is a particularly important when you fall into the age bracket of under 50. Luckily, high blood pressure is very treatable. The sooner you catch it, the easier it is to treat, and it can often be treated with some simple changes to lifestyle.