| Pratt
Regional Living Center employees will be available
to take blood pressures at RSVP, located at 619 N.
Main in Pratt, on Thursday, May 5th from 11a.m. to
noon. Anyone who would like to have their blood pressure
taken is welcome to attend. Pratt Regional Living
Center employees will be at RSVP to take blood pressures
every other week on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon.
The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure
is to have your blood pressure checked. According
to the American Heart Association, your doctor or
another qualified health professional should check
it at least once every two years and more often if
it's high.
Blood pressure readings vary depending on age and
other factors. Normal blood pressure is defined by
a range of values. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters
of mercury (mm Hg). The classifications in the table
below are for people who aren't taking antihypertensive
(blood pressure-lowering) drugs and aren't acutely
ill. When a person's systolic and diastolic pressures
fall into different categories, the higher category
is used to classify the blood pressure status. Diagnosing
high blood pressure is based on the average of two
or more readings taken at each of two or more visits
after an initial screening.
Classification
of blood pressure for adults age 18 years and older
| Category |
Systolic
(mm Hg) |
|
Diastolic
(mm Hg) |
| Normal* |
less
than 120 |
and |
less
than 80 |
| Prehypertension |
120-139 |
or |
80-89 |
| |
|
|
|
| Hypertension
|
|
|
|
| Stage
1 |
140-159 |
or |
90-99 |
| Stage
2 |
160
or higher |
or |
100
or higher |
*
Unusually low readings should be evaluated for clinical
significance.
(From the Seventh Report of the Joint National
Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment
of High Blood Pressure)
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more 2005 news archives |
