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For many years, doctors have warned their patients of the importance of maintaining normal blood pressure. Recently, cardiologists have lowered the recommended blood pressure to 120/80 or less. People with blood pressure above this level are considered to be suffering from hypertension.
While both numbers in blood pressure reading are important, physicians are generally more concerned that the higher number is too high. This is known as systolic blood pressure. It has been proven that high systolic blood pressure increases the incidence of heart attacks and strokes.
A new study conducted by Kaiser Permanente published in the New England Journal of Medicine now shows that the lower figure of blood pressure reading is just as important in predicting cardiovascular disease as the higher figure. The study showed that diastolic and systolic blood pressure should be taken into account when badessing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
This study receives a lot of credit because of the large number of people who participated in the study. Kaiser Permanente's research involved more than 1.3 million people providing approximately 36 million blood pressure readings. The researchers followed the changes in blood pressure and general health status of the participants for eight years.
During the study, researchers found that the highest figure in reading blood pressure had the greatest effect on a person's cardiovascular health. However, researchers have also shown that a high number of blood pressure readings can also have adverse effects on cardiovascular health. People in the study with a high diastolic number had an increased risk of stroke, ischemic stroke and heart disease.
Physicians are now urged to consider the reading of blood pressure in choosing the treatment protocol for their patients. Cardiologists continue to encourage patients to check their blood pressure diligently and keep their blood pressure within normal limits.
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