Hypertensive- Blood pressure limits

A single, isolated high blood pressure reading does not signify hypertension. You could be ‘stressed out’ or suffering from a physical ailment, like a headache or a fever; or you might have simply had a bad day. To overcome such aberrations, a physician would not jump to any conclusion on a single high blood pressure recording. One should have at least four or five separate readings on different days and if possible, at different times of the day, before confirming the diagnosis and initiating any treatment. 


In medical circles, there is a constant debate and discussion updating of data. The latest JNC –VI classification of hypertension young adults is given below : 

As discussed earlier in the book, more and more cases of ‘white coat’ hypertension are being reported. Most doctors advise their patients to go in for domiciliary or at-home blood pressure monitoring. A new method called Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) is now in vogue where a detailed monitoring of blood pressure is done outside the clinical setting, while the patient is up and about, attending to his daily chores. 
Blood pressure readings vary with age and sex. In most big cities, where there is relative affluence with little physical activity, younger and younger boys and girls are reported to be suffering from this problem. The readings for age-sex blood pressure ratio should be as follows :

Once the diagnosis for rise in blood pressure has been made, the doctor adopts the following steps:

• Diagnoses of the illness. 

• The level of hypertension as revealed by the stage of the disease.

• Secondary hypertension is rule out. A detailed history, physical examination and laboratory tests are carried out to identify any other condition that could influence hypertension or cause difficulty in management of the disease.