ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – New guidelines are lowering the threshold for high blood pressure diagnoses, adding 30 million Americans to those who have the condition, which now plagues nearly half of U.S. adults.
High blood pressure, which for decades has been a top reading of at least 140 or a bottom one of 90, drops to 130 over 80 in advice announced Monday by a dozen medical groups.
Dr. Alison Bailey, a cardiologist at the Erlanger Heart and Lung Institute, said physicians have known for many years that optimal blood pressure is less than 120 over 80, but “the debate comes when we start treating it.” However, she’s confident the new guidelines are the right move.
“There’s a lot of time and effort that has gone into these guidelines,” she said.
The change means an additional 14 percent of U.S. adults have the problem, but only 2 percent need medication right away; the rest should try healthier lifestyles, which get stronger emphasis in the new advice. Poor diets, lack of exercise and other bad habits cause 90 percent of high blood pressure.