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Why is only my systolic blood pressure high?

Isolated systolic hypertension can be caused by conditions such as: Artery stiffness. An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) Diabetes.

mayoclinic.org - Isolated systolic hypertension: A health concern? - Mayo Clinic

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Is having a high top number (systolic) blood pressure, but an OK bottom number (diastolic) cause for concern? Answer From Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D. Yes. If systolic blood pressure rises but diastolic blood pressure stays within an acceptable range, the condition is called isolated systolic hypertension. Isolated systolic hypertension happens when the diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and the systolic blood pressure is 130 mm Hg or higher. Isolated systolic hypertension is the most common form of high blood pressure in people older than age 65. Younger people can have this type of high blood pressure too.

Isolated systolic hypertension can be caused by conditions such as:

Artery stiffness

An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)

Diabetes

Heart valve disease

Obesity

Having a high systolic blood pressure over time can increase the risk of strokes, heart disease and chronic kidney disease. The recommended goal for systolic pressure for adults younger than age 65 who have a 10% or higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease is less than 130 mm Hg. For healthy adults who are age 65 or older, the recommended treatment goal for systolic pressure is also less than 130 mm Hg. Controlling isolated systolic hypertension to prevent health problems requires medication. But it's important that the treatment to lower systolic blood pressure doesn't cause the diastolic blood pressure to drop too low. That can cause other complications. In addition to medication, lifestyle changes can help improve the systolic blood pressure reading. Important changes include:

Eating a healthy diet.

Decreasing the amount of salt in the diet.

Losing weight when indicated.

Increasing physical activity to at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity. Drinking alcohol in moderation, if you choose to drink. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men. Your health care provider will ask you to come back for a follow-up appointment to make sure your treatment and lifestyle changes are improving your blood pressure. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. From Mayo Clinic to your inbox Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Email ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Subscribe! Thank you for subscribing! You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry

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What blood pressure is too high for life insurance?

130/80 Blood pressure ranges: Important new medical guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology in 2017 dramatically reduced the definition of high blood pressure from 140/90 to 130/80. In life insurance underwriting, the closer your blood pressure is to the 120/80 range, the less you'll likely pay for coverage.

bankrate.com - Best Life Insurance for Those with High Blood Pressure - Bankrate

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