Hypoxia and Medicine

Blood pressure question...?

I'm 22 and my blood pressure is currently 155/85. I'm fit and healthy and it isn't usually this high, but it has been for a while now (2 months or longer). My HR is 65bpm, resps 14bpm and oxygen saturation 99-100%. I just don't get why it has gone up, what are the potential complications or what can be done? I'd prefer answers from professionals because I am a nurse myself and don't need basic answers... thanks... Re: answer from WH. Yes, I am a qualified RN and yes I know what a blood pressure is. Jump off your high horse sweetheart and maybe look at answering my question as a professional. The reason I ask this is because I really wanted to see if this has been seen before and what has happened as a result, sort of a look at what might happen before I see a Doctor. Thank you to those people who gave real answers.

Public Comments

1. Identical thing just happened to me. Not overweight, exercise daily, treadmill daily, eat well. Doctor checked my blood, all is fine. My parents had it, my sister has it. In my case it's genetics. I've averaged 115/65 all my life. I actually hit 191 / 110. That explained my headaches and blurred vision.
2. THIS IS A BASIC STATEMENT If you are a nurse you know the answer. 155 do you think it is cause for concern? I have real cause for concern that you appear not to have even grasped the BASIC CONCEPT of what is or is not an abnormal blood pressure reading. God help your patients for if you ARE nursing them than He is their only hope. If YOU REALLY ARE a nurse and I knew which country you practiced in I would ensure that you were reported to your national regulatory body. This lack of elementary knowledge you ARE an absolute danger to all and any you come across. Are you taking patients blood pressure and then recording it in the documents with absolutely no clue what it means? Later addition. (I have read the paramedics answer and I am absolutely stunned that he would feel that medication would be given to you with a BP of 155\85. perhaps he did not read the bottom figure properly)
3. I have the same problem. Ive been a firefighter/paramedic for eight years now. Im healthy, fit, active. My resting pulse is usually 57 or 58 and resps are right around 12 or 13 per minute. Unfortunatly My BP runs around 145/105 when im at rest. That can be a problem because Ive never taken it while I was in a fire but I can bet its quite a bit higher. Captain wants me to go on meds for it and I probably will eventually. After reading some of these answers I had to add that any "qualified nurse" would understand that a BP of 155 is problem for concern. Some people are so freakin stupid, any way best of luck man I would tell any fat, unhealthy person to eat better, lay off the caffiene and salt, but it sounds like you know better already. Unfortunatly for people like us, the only answer might be meds
4. Are you still in school? The fact that you're worrying about having your blood pressure too high might cause false elevations when you take it ... due to anticipation. Or, even nurses can have white coat hypertension. Perhaps its the profession itself. However, if you are a nurse, you don't seem like a very resourceful one. Everybody lies, right?
5. Although you can get an accurate blood pressure reading at any given time, blood pressure isn't static. It can vary considerably in a short amount of time — sometimes from one heartbeat to the next, depending on body position, breathing rhythm, stress level, physical condition, medications you take, what you eat and drink, and even time of day. Blood pressure is usually lowest at night and rises sharply on waking. Blood pressure: How low can you go? Current guidelines identify normal blood pressure as lower than 120/80 — many experts think 115/75 is optimal. Higher readings indicate increasingly serious risks of cardiovascular disease. Low blood pressure, on the other hand, is much harder to quantify. Standard Blood Pressure Guidelines mmHg (millimeters of mercury Top number (systolic) Bottom number (diastolic) Your category What to do* Below 120 and Below 80- Normal blood pressure -Maintain or adopt a healthy lifestyle. 120-139 or 80-89 Prehypertension -Maintain or adopt a healthy lifestyle. 140-159 or 90-99 Stage 1 hypertension -Maintain or adopt a healthy lifestyle. If blood pressure goal isn't reached in about 6 months, take one or moremedications 160 or more or 100 or more Stage 2 hypertension Maintain or adopt a healthy lifestyle. Take more than one medication. Note: These recommendations address high blood pressure as a single health condition. If you also have heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or certain other conditions, you'll need to treat your blood pressure more aggressively Basically diastole of 90 is considered hypertensive. But according to this chart, your blood pressure of 155/85 already labels you as pre-hypertensive; even though the other numbers are within normal limits. . Being a nurse, I'm sure you're aware that makes you at risks for kidney disease, CAD, or Stroke or HA ( heart attack or myocardial infarction) if you have other contributory factors such as Smoking, STRESS.and other underlying disease. Also genetics can play a role in it. Everyone of us in our family tree is hypertensive. My father had had 4 strokes due to HTN. And my sister who's very thin has a high cholesterol. I'm on high blood pressure meds because I hit 230/145 once and felt a CVA ( headaches, dizzy; wanted to pass out , the floor wavy., warmth all over) coming on. Treatment depends on how high your blood pressure is, whether you have other health problems such as diabetes, and whether any organs have already been damaged. Your doctor will also consider how likely you are to develop other diseases, especially heart disease. You can help lower your blood pressure by making healthy changes in your lifestyle. If those lifestyle changes don't work, you may also need to take pills. Either way, you will need to control your high blood pressure throughout your life. If you have prehypertension, your doctor will likely recommend lifestyle changes. These may include losing extra weight, exercising, limiting alcohol, cutting back on salt, quitting smoking, and eating a low-fat diet that includes more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods. If you have high blood pressure without any organ damage or other risk factors for heart disease, your doctor may recommend that you take medicine in addition to making lifestyle changes. If you have high blood pressure and have some organ damage or other risk factors for heart disease, you may need to try various combinations of medicines in addition to making big lifestyle changes. Most people take more than one pill for high blood pressure. Work with your doctor to find the right pill or combination of pills that will cause the fewest side effects. It can be hard to remember to take pills when you have no symptoms. But your blood pressure will go back up if you don't take your medicine. Make your pill schedule as simple as you can. Plan times to take them when you are doing other things, like eating a meal or getting ready for bed. What can you do to prevent high blood pressure? There are six lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent high blood pressure: Lose extra weight. Eat less salt. Exercise. Limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women and lighter-weight men. Get 3,500 mg of potassium in your diet every day. Fresh, unprocessed whole foods have the most potassium. These foods include meat, fish, nonfat and low-fat dairy products, and many fruits and vegetables. Follow the DASH eating plan (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). This diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and is low in fat.