Nurse Notes: The Latest News on High Blood Pressure — submitted by Linda Schoene, Parish Nurse

Last May, new guidelines for blood pressure evaluation were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Essentially, "normal" has been redefined from lower than 130/85 to lower than 120/80. This change placed 45 million Americans into a new category called "prehypertension." This changed was based on studies indicating that increased risk for heart disease can begin at blood pressure levels that were formerly considered normal.

Heart disease is the nation's leading cause of death for both men and women. High blood pressure is linked to increased risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. The new prehypertension category encourages everyone to take blood pressure readings more seriously. Interventions that can help reduce blood pressure include:

1. Lowering dietary intake of fat and cholesterol.
2. Avoiding excess salt in the diet. Don't use salt in cooking. Read food labels. Many processed foods are high in salt, sugar and fat.
3. Remembering that "fat-free," "cholesterol-free," and "sugar-free" do not mean that unlimited eating of such foods is healthy.
4. Maintaining normal weight.
5. Stopping smoking.
6. Limiting alcohol to no more than one or two drinks a day.
7. Exercising daily — 30 minutes a day on most days.
8. Managing stress. Exercising, meditation and yoga can help

Blood pressure screenings are held at Christ the King after each worship service on the last weekend of each month. Important points to consider at these screenings are 1) One high reading does not diagnose hypertension. 2) Blood pressure readings should be evaluated over time. 3) Persistent readings in the prehypertension category or higher should be evaluated by a physician.

Last updated: 2003-08-31