blood pressure

[Harefieldfan]

Does anyone know the recommended blood pressure reading for a woman aged 80? The sites I've tried just go up to 64, as though after that you don't exist.

As I posted recently, I have a history of vasovagal syncope (fainting), and the doctor I saw after my recent episode thought it might be due to low blood pressure. I've been taking Losartan 25 mg every morning and Amliodipine 5 mg every evening since my nstemi attack three (?) years ago. She told me to stop the Amliodopine as a trial. So I haven't taken it for a week. I exercise regularly, walk, etc, am vegan...

Anyway, the websites all say 134/87 is ideal for someone of 64. My latest readings were 149/74 (2 days ago) and 138/82 (yesterday). The GP also measured standing BP -- for me 121/81 yesterday. I don't know whether to restart the Amliodipine. If it means 64 and over, my BP is a bit high.

[Taviterry]

Scroll down nhs.uk/conditions/high-bloo... which says: "If you're aged 80 or over, you're usually considered to have high blood pressure if your reading is either: 150/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional 145/85 or higher when checked at home."

Googling "blood pressure woman age 80" leads to other authoritative websites.

[Harefieldfan in reply to Taviterry]

thanks!!

[Happyrosie]

also, have a look at the website of the specialist charity Blood Pressure UK.

[Harefieldfan in reply to Happyrosie]

Thanks. This site doesn’t take age into account though. This matters because arteries narrow as you age, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. Don’t know if stents make a difference- I have two. Anyway, I’ll keep monitoring.

[nextadventure]

Please don't change your own BP medication without professional advice! It is hard to know exactly what your blood pressure is doing unless you wear a monitor for, say, 48 hours, and it needs to be assessed alongside other factors such as your heart rate, presence of kidney disease or diabetes, symptoms such as lightheadedness, dizziness, syncope, tiredness, oedema - heart failure - and even to some degree on your life expectancy (e.g. if you're having dizziness and have stage 4 cancer, there is no point worrying about reaching 'ideal' BP).

In your current circumstance [history of syncope, BP138/82 (yesterday). The GP also measured standing BP -- for me 121/81] I would certainly not be restarting amlodipine. But review with your GP. Best wishes

[sandandkev]

121/81 is perfect, obviously bp goes up or down depending what you are doing,you should always sit quietly for 10mins before taking bp

[Anothernewbie]

Guidelines are below 150/90 if taken in GP surgery, hospital, etc. and 145/85 if taken at home.

[Harefieldfan in reply to Anothernewbie]

Yes that’s what I found. Thanks.

[Jedi14]

I opted to have a reduced amlodipine following my visit to A&E (now on half dose).

[Harefieldfan in reply to Jedi14]

Why did you decide this? Is it ok?

[Jack2019]

I had a long back and forth conversation with my cardiologist about acceptable ranges, I had read that for seniors it is 150/90 because as we age our arteries naturally become less efficient at propelling the blood around the body so the heart will pump a little harder to do it. The doctor did say that it is an acceptable reading for the over 65 crowd. However each person may have to have it lower or higher depending on their situation, My GP is happy at 140/90 even on bp meds. We are in our mid sixties, one of us has had a heart infarction one has not.

[Taviterry]

Following my TAVI to have a new heart valve, my surgeon wasn't bothered about a slightly high systolic reading, but said it would be concerning if my diastolic went above 90. In fact I've been averaging in the 130s and 70s, with a recent increase into the 140s. So it was reassuring to discover that this is normal - not that I'm 80 for another eight months.

[Jedi14]

I'm not sure what to call this question: "The Golden Question" or "Dip In Systole" - let me explain!

My initial problem started back in January 2024, had short stay in hospital with chest/stomach pains and I was taking GTN spray daily. Sent home after the tests, with MRI to follow, no major changes to meds.

Then came the cardiology appointment. The cardilogist looked at results from all tests done and said we cannot do angiogram, as it's less than a year ago that you had stents, so we will try and fix you with mediction. He said my heart rate was low (<50s) and wanted to increase this, with Bisoprolol starting with lowest dose 1.25mg daily allowing for 2 months for it to kick in and see how I got on.

My pharmacist told me the opossite! He said your heart HR will go lower and so keep an eye on your BP and HR! Once started my HR and BP dropped and I ended up stopping my Perindopril medication, my BP was at 120s/80s and HR around 40s and I had stopped using the GTN spray!

This continued for several weeks until an unusual event happened in the third month, my HR shot up to 60s and above (which is what the cardiologist said) and my sytolic went down to 90s/80s for several days, so not just a blip!!! So worried about his change I ended up in A&E, where the doctor reveiwed everything and said you don't really need Amlodipine, then just halved it instead. So I am now at 120s/80s and HR is 60s. Actually the decision was made by the GP. So both the Cardiologist and the Pharmacist were correct in their own way.