Page 53 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2018

Paul K. Whelton, M.B.,M.D., M.Sc., who is lead author of the guidelines. “If you’re only going to focus on events, that ignores the process when it’s beginning. Risk is already going up as you get into your 40s.”
The guidelines stress the importance of home blood pressure monitoring using validated devices. Healthcare providers say there is ‘white coat hypertension,’ which occurs when pressure is elevated
in a medical setting but not in everyday life. Home readings can also identify ‘masked hypertension’ when pressure is normal in a medical setting but elevated at home, thus necessitating treatment with lifestyle and possibly medications.
“Home blood pressure monitoring is extremely important in managing high blood pressure,” Mullen
said. “It’s easy, inexpensive, more reliable and predictable than blood pressure measurements in the doctor’s office, and we’re able to sort out whether the patient has ‘white coat syndrome’ or ‘masked hypertension.’”
High blood pressure accounts
for the second largest number of preventable heart disease and stroke deaths, second only to smoking. It’s known as the ‘silent killer’ because often there are no symptoms, despite its role in significantly increasing
the risk for heart disease and stroke. Dr. Mullen affirms that there are often no signs or symptoms, but adds, “When blood pressures are extremely high, the patient may have a headache, vision problems, confusion, chest pain, difficulty breathing or an irregular heart rhythm.”
Speaking of the new guidelines, Whelton, who is a professor at Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans, points out, “You’ve already doubled your risk of cardiovascular complications compared to those with a normal level of blood pressure and you need to know about it. It doesn’t mean you need medication, but it’s a yellow light that you need to be lowering your blood pressure, mainly with non- drug approaches.”
UNDER THE NEW GUIDELINES BY THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY:
• High blood pressure is now defined as 130/80
• Approximately 14 percent more people in U.S. will be diagnosed with high blood pressure
• There will only be a small increase in those who will be prescribed medication
• Prevalence of high blood pressure is expected to increase dramatically in under 45 age group.
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net January 2018 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 53