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Blood pressure: 170/110 - dangerous?

Hi,

So my dad currently has a blood pressure of 170/110. Is this dangerous i.e. require visiting A&E? High BP runs in the family and he hasn't been going to the gym for the past few weeks, so that may have contributed to it. He doesn't smoke/drink.

I'm just super worried, but he's brushing it off :frown:
Reply 1
It doesn't require A&E.

What did you use to take the blood pressure? Is this a sustained reading over a period of time, or was it a one off reading? Remember also things can affect the reading such as not lying down, talking during the measurement etc.

But 170/110 is definitely grounds to see a GP as soon as possible. I don't think it's possible to go much higher than that.
Original post by Anonymous
Hi,

So my dad currently has a blood pressure of 170/110. Is this dangerous i.e. require visiting A&E? High BP runs in the family and he hasn't been going to the gym for the past few weeks, so that may have contributed to it. He doesn't smoke/drink.

I'm just super worried, but he's brushing it off :frown:

That is really high but it depends on various reasons. Borderline is: 140/80
I'm pretty much a pro at this stuff.
Oh it's very possible to go higher than that - mine hit something like 240 over 180 once!

What's defined as "dangerous" and needing a hospital visit is when the top number is 200 or above.

170 over 110 is definitely high though and definitely requires a GP visit.

That being said, if he's experiencing anything like prolonged headaches, shortness of breath, palpitations or similar then emergency treatment should be sought.
Reply 4
Original post by seantnash
Oh it's very possible to go higher than that - mine hit something like 240 over 180 once!

What's defined as "dangerous" and needing a hospital visit is when the top number is 200 or above.

170 over 110 is definitely high though and definitely requires a GP visit.

That being said, if he's experiencing anything like prolonged headaches, shortness of breath, palpitations or similar then emergency treatment should be sought.


That is insane dude, was that resting pressure too?

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Depends on when and where and how he took the blood pressure.

If he took it over a 24 hour period then he needs to take some medication because it is too high.

High blood pressure is an easily treatable condition.
Original post by KittyRe-play
That is really high but it depends on various reasons. Borderline is: 140/80
I'm pretty much a pro at this stuff.


Why 140/80?

140/90 is stage 1 hypertension.
Original post by james1211
That is insane dude, was that resting pressure too?

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Hehe it was indeed (I had only been awake about 10 minutes). My pulse was over 200 at the time too. Never happened since but I am on annual observation at the hospital just to make sure.
Original post by DorianGrayism
Why 140/80?

140/90 is stage 1 hypertension.

Sorry was a typo
Definitely need to see the gp. He may need to go on tablets to bring it back into control if these readings are on the high side most of the time. If he gets a headache with it as well then seek medical advice as that can be dangerous. Good luck
Original post by Anonymous
Hi,

So my dad currently has a blood pressure of 170/110. Is this dangerous i.e. require visiting A&E? High BP runs in the family and he hasn't been going to the gym for the past few weeks, so that may have contributed to it. He doesn't smoke/drink.

I'm just super worried, but he's brushing it off :frown:


Yes it is very high, but a one off reading doesn't really tell you that much. Advise him to go see a GP, who can then arrange for ambulatory monitoring and decide what to do if it the result of that is high BP. If you have a home monitor kit it might be worth taking 2-3 readings a day for a week or two and logging this to take to the GP with him.

Generic lifestyle advice too - 30 mins cardiovascular exercise per day, low salt diet, losing weight etc

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(edited 9 years ago)
Thank you everyone for replying!

Original post by KittyRe-play
That is really high but it depends on various reasons. Borderline is: 140/80
I'm pretty much a pro at this stuff.


Original post by Simonthegreat
Definitely need to see the gp. He may need to go on tablets to bring it back into control if these readings are on the high side most of the time. If he gets a headache with it as well then seek medical advice as that can be dangerous. Good luck


Thank you. These measurements were made when he was at walk-in-centre for another issue. He generally has a higher BP, but it's scary whenever it's this high.

Thing is, he's tried meds before years ago, and because he experienced intense headaches after, he vowed not to take BP meds any more, since they "make him feel worse".

Original post by seantnash
Oh it's very possible to go higher than that - mine hit something like 240 over 180 once!

What's defined as "dangerous" and needing a hospital visit is when the top number is 200 or above.

170 over 110 is definitely high though and definitely requires a GP visit.

That being said, if he's experiencing anything like prolonged headaches, shortness of breath, palpitations or similar then emergency treatment should be sought.


Oh wow, how did you manage to bring that down quickly? He did feel shortness of breath at times, which is one of the reasons he went to the walk-in-centre. The doctor there was surprised at his high BP, but he told her that his GP knows, so they didn't prescribe anything for it.
Original post by Anonymous

Thank you. These measurements were made when he was at walk-in-centre for another issue. He generally has a higher BP, but it's scary whenever it's this high.

Thing is, he's tried meds before years ago, and because he experienced intense headaches after, he vowed not to take BP meds any more, since they "make him feel worse".


It is possible that if it's a one off reading in a clinic, then part of the high blood pressure reading can be attributed to a phenomenon called white coat hypertension. You can google it for more info, but basically when people are getting their blood pressure measure in a clinic then they'll feel a bit anxious and stimulates adrenaline release, which raises blood pressure. This gives an artificially high reading.


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He not feeling nothing but very tired and I'm been watching him for a week he was real pale got some color back but blood pressure is still very high
He not feeling nothing but very tired and I'm been watching him for a week he was real pale got some color back but blood pressure is still very high

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