- The American Heart Association and other medical groups just released new guidelines on what defines high blood pressure.
- Previously, a blood pressure reading of 140/90 was considered high.
- Now, a reading of 130/80 is considered high.
- With the new guidelines, about half of all Americans now have high blood pressure.
As of Monday, millions more Americans now have high blood pressure, thanks to new guidelines released by the American Heart Association (AHA) and 10 other medical organizations.
Before, high blood pressure was defined as a reading of 140/90 or higher. Now, according to the new guidelines, high blood pressure is defined as 130/80 or higher, CNN reports.
Scientists reviewed more 900 studies to create these guidelines, and determined that, under the new criteria, 46% of Americans now have high blood pressure. Previously, only 32% of Americans did.
As a quick refresher: The top number (systolic blood pressure) indicates the amount pressure that your blood puts on your arteries every time your heart beats. The bottom number (diastolic blood pressure) measures the pressure on your arteries when your heart is resting in between beats.
Left unchecked, high blood pressure can lead to stroke, vision loss, heart attacks, sexual dysfunction, and kidney disease, according to the AHA. The scariest part is that high blood pressure doesn't have any obvious symptoms that you'd notice in your day-to-day life. This is why doctors often call it a "silent killer."
The news isn't meant to set off panic. High blood pressure is manageable with medications and/or lifestyle adjustments, like cutting back on salt and alcohol and getting regular exercise.
But if you haven't gotten your blood pressure checked in a while, now might be a good time to do it. You don't even have to see a doctor — pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens offer screenings, too. And for more on the importance of health blood pressure, check out this guide from the AHA.
