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Healthy You Archives |
Protecting Your Health
Women and Blood PressureAs one local runner found out, this is truly a ‘vital statistic’
Getting serious about blood pressure—It’s a must for Sharon Dillon of Trexlertown (left), whose blood pressure soared just before a 5K race. Here, she gets a check from cardiac rehabilitation exercise physiologist Michelle Sacchetti. Heart disease is the biggest, and most preventable, threat to men’s and women’s health. Besides the stories on these pages, we also offer education programs on cardiovascular health. That point came home to her in a big way just before a 5K run in autumn 2003. Registering for the run, Dillon had her blood pressure checked and was amazed to see that it had soared far above normal, to 200/110. She hadn’t been monitoring it regularly. After a night at Lehigh Valley Hospital she was back to normal, and her doctor changed her medication to help ensure she’d stay that way. Dillon checks her blood pressure regularly now. “Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries,” says cardiologist James Sandberg, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. It’s measured in millimeters of mer-cury. When the heart contracts, blood pressure goes up (the top number on the reading). When the heart relaxes between beats, blood pressure goes down (the bottom number). Ideal blood pressure is 120/80 or below. “Blood pressure should be on every woman’s health checklist, because it is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,” says Sandberg’s colleague, family physician Lou Lukas, M.D. Nearly 1-in-3 American adults has high blood pressure, or hypertension—and while the rate of hypertension peaks by age 54 in men, it keeps rising in women as they get older. Because there are typically no symptoms, hypertension has been called the “silent killer.” One-third of people who have it don’t realize it. Women over age 21 whose blood pressure is less than 130/85 and who aren’t seeing a doctor for other reasons should have their blood pressure checked at least every other year, Lukas says. If you’re pregnant, taking hormones, have a chronic illness such as diabetes, or have blood pressure higher than 130/85, you’ll need more frequent monitoring. Medications help control high blood pressure, Sandberg says, but it’s also important to do your part—eat a healthy diet, limit your salt intake, watch your weight, stop smoking, control alcohol consumption and get regular aerobic exercise. “Losing 20 pounds can lower your blood pressure by several points and reduce your stroke risk by 15-25 percent,” he says.
Want to Know More about controlling your blood pressure and what the numbers mean? Call 610-402-CARE or click here. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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Just for Women
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Heart of Healthy You
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