While in the doctor’s office, you expect to hear all the details relating to your high blood pressure. Yet, oftentimes this is not the case. The lack of discussion or full disclosure on the part of your doctor is related to two main factors 1) the complex nature of the underlying problem and 2) efforts to minimise and alleviate your concerns. Instead, your physician may focus on the medical procedures and management aimed at reducing the symptoms.
There are 3 hypertensive circumstances your doctor may find unnecessary to discuss with you:
1: Immediate Treatment for Hypertension
In order to diagnose a patient with high blood pressure a physician usually determines the patient’s baseline number. This approach rules out any complementary or influencing factors that can temporarily elevate the blood pressure and establishes a basis for comparison.
Blood pressure in assessed as normal at: 120/80 mm Hg (millimetre of mercury). Any extreme variation to this model is often treated aggressively by physicians. Therefore, a sustained elevated reading above 140/90 mmHg is sound reason to diagnose a patient as hypertensive and a follow-up treatment plan implemented.
Deviations, however, occur in several instances for one or more reasons:
• A patient’s blood pressure has reached the upper end of stage 1 (159/99 mm Hg) or is at stage 2 (>160/>100 mm Hg).
• The decision to err on the side of caution. Any noteworthy value above normal levels is cause for immediate medical attention. This is done particularly if the patient has one or more risk factors.
Dr. Charles Best Blog 