How to Read a Blood Pressure Monitor for High Blood Pressure

Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
Updated on September 03, 2024
00:00
00:00

As living standards improve, a blood pressure monitor has become an essential medical device in households. Electronic blood pressure monitors are very convenient for measuring blood pressure, especially for patients with hypertension. They allow patients to measure their blood pressure timely and adjust medication dosages accordingly. How to read a blood pressure monitor varies with different models. Typically, on an electronic blood pressure monitor, the first line displays the systolic pressure, also known as high blood pressure; the second line displays the diastolic pressure, also known as low blood pressure; and the third line displays the heart rate. These readings can help you know your systolic and diastolic pressures.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Tian Hua
Cardiology
58sec home-news-image

Is a blood pressure of 180 considered severe?

Blood pressure reaching a systolic level of 180 mmHg is considered severe hypertension, which is quite serious. This type of blood pressure requires active treatment with antihypertensive medications to gradually bring the pressure back to normal levels. This kind of blood pressure often requires the combination of different antihypertensive drugs with various mechanisms of action to effectively control it. It is recommended to select antihypertensive drugs under the guidance of a specialist doctor based on individualized treatment principles, starting with small doses. The reduction in blood pressure should not be too rapid nor should it cause the pressure to drop too low. In addition to standard antihypertensive treatment, long-term adjustments to lifestyle habits and changes to unhealthy behaviors are also necessary. If there are other related cardiovascular risk factors, they should also be actively managed.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Qiang
Intensive Care Unit
1min 27sec home-news-image

The difference between hypertensive encephalopathy and malignant hypertension

Hypertensive encephalopathy and malignant hypertension are two critical conditions that can occur in patients with hypertension, both triggered by a sudden and drastic increase in blood pressure in a short period. Literally, hypertensive encephalopathy focuses on the severe rise in blood pressure in a short term, causing some damage to the nervous system. The main mechanism is due to the too rapid increase in blood pressure over a short period, exceeding the self-regulation range of cerebral blood vessels. At this time, the pressure in the cerebral vessels increases sharply, causing the components of the blood in the cerebral vessels to spill over into the brain tissue, manifesting some neurological symptoms, mainly severe headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, seizures, convulsions, and even herniation of the brain, all due to brain edema and intracranial hypertension. Malignant hypertension covers a broader range than hypertensive encephalopathy. Besides the neurological symptoms mentioned above, it also affects other systems, such as acute proteinuria, renal failure, and acute heart failure, focusing on the impact on multiple systems throughout the body, including the brain. Hypertensive encephalopathy is more focused on the reactions in the brain, so these two conditions have a common pathogenesis but focus on different aspects.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wei Shi Liang
Intensive Care Unit
52sec home-news-image

How to deal with hypertensive emergencies

Hypertensive emergency is characterized by a significant increase in blood pressure, often with diastolic pressure greater than 130 mmHg. Target organs including the brain, eyes, heart, and kidneys are severely compromised or fail. Hypertensive emergencies require admission to the CCU for cardiac monitoring and the use of intravenous antihypertensives. In the initial one to two hours, the reduction in blood pressure should not exceed 25% of the peak value. Control blood pressure within two to six hours and stabilize it at 160/100 mmHg. Commonly used antihypertensive drugs include sodium nitroprusside and nitroglycerin, while avoiding the use of nifedipine-like drugs for blood pressure reduction.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
54sec home-news-image

Causes of high blood pressure

Hypertension is clinically divided into primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. Primary hypertension is characterized by elevated blood pressure without other symptoms, and the current clinical diagnostic methods cannot determine the cause of the blood pressure rise, which is referred to as primary hypertension. Secondary hypertension occurs as a result of other diseases, with the most common being hyperthyroidism, glomerulonephritis, arteritis, atherosclerosis, and other diseases causing high blood pressure. After the onset of hypertension, effective antihypertensive drugs must be used for treatment. Hypertension is not to be feared, but the damage it causes to the body is. (Specific medications should be used under the guidance of a physician)

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Qiang
Intensive Care Unit
1min 1sec home-news-image

The difference between hypertensive emergency and hypertensive encephalopathy.

The so-called hypertensive emergency is a condition where blood pressure rises very quickly, reaching a very high level in a short period of time. At this time, it does not necessarily lead to hypertensive encephalopathy, which is a more dangerous condition. Hypertensive encephalopathy indicates that due to the rapid rise in blood pressure, the pressure in the brain's blood vessels becomes excessively high. This pressure causes cerebral edema. At this point, because the blood pressure is higher than the brain's perfusion pressure, the brain becomes swollen, which is extremely dangerous. If the swelling is severe, it may lead to brain herniation, which can be fatal. Therefore, relatively speaking, hypertensive encephalopathy is much more serious than a hypertensive emergency and represents a dangerous stage of progression within a hypertensive crisis. Thus, hypertensive encephalopathy is a very dangerous condition and is one of the most critical manifestations within a hypertensive emergency.