What does blood pressure tell you?

[dogpoo]

Is your blood pressure reading a good view of you health, can it tell you there is something wrong which should be investigated, if your pressure is normal does this mean you are fit and healthy?

[nottocus]

My blood pressure was normal when I found out I had coronary heart disease.

Edited July 12, 2013 by nottocus

[Wavefloater]

There are a lot of smart members at TVF, but I don't think I'd seek general health advice here. I'd certainly ask about Thai-based doctors, procedures, or medicine, but when it comes to something as important as your heart, wouldn't a medical website (Mayo Clinic, for example) be a better choice? I've seen some REALLY misinformed people post here with apparent authority when it's clear they don't have a clue.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Wavefloater

[dogpoo]

My blood pressure was normal when I found out I had coronary heart disease.

That answers my question then!!

[bkkbudddy]

Blood pressure doesn't tell you if you're in shape or healthy, also known as silent disease or silent killer. Usually high blood pressure will be detrimental to your health when you're over 60 years old.

In my case, l lowered my blood pressure by losing weight, minimize salt intake, exercising regularly

and following DASH Diet!

Good luck

[dogpoo]

Blood pressure doesn't tell you if you're in shape or healthy, also known as silent disease or silent killer. Usually high blood pressure will be detrimental to your health when you're over 60 years old.

In my case, l lowered my blood pressure by losing weight, minimize salt intake, exercising regularly

and following DASH Diet!

Good luck

I was just asking the question, I gave up alcohol 3 months ago, exercise for 1 hr every day and try to eat sensibly, my blood pressure was 113/71 I don't and have never taken extra salt and sugar only what's already in the food!

[bunnaag]

Blood pressure doesn't tell you if you're in shape or healthy, also known as silent disease or silent killer. Usually high blood pressure will be detrimental to your health when you're over 60 years old.

In my case, l lowered my blood pressure by losing weight, minimize salt intake, exercising regularly

and following DASH Diet!

Good luck

I was just asking the question, I gave up alcohol 3 months ago, exercise for 1 hr every day and try to eat sensibly, my blood pressure was 113/71 I don't and have never taken extra salt and sugar only what's already in the food!

you have an excellent blood pressure

[Sheryl]

Blood pressure measures the pressure of blood in your arteries. As such it is a reflection of whether you have enough blood volume (not usually a concern unless you've been in an accident or are otherwise hemorrhaging) and also on how much elasticity your arteries have. In arterosclerosis ("hardening of the arteries") the arteries have less elasticity than normal and that raises the pressure.

Lastly it is an indication of how hard your heart is having to work to pump blood; as regardless of what has caused it (and there can be many causes including certain drugs, smoking etc) an elevated blood pressure means your heart is having to pump hard against some degree of resistance, and that is not good for the heart. It also carries with it an elevated risk of stroke.

Normal blood pressure simply means that you do not have hypertension, you have adequate blood volume (note that you could however still be significantly anemic) and you probably do not have significant arteriosclerosis in the peripheral arteries.

That's it. Any number of other things could still be wrong with you, so while it is important to check for hypertension and treat it if present, its absence is no guarantee of good health.

A comprehensive physical check-up would serve you better in that regard.

[dogpoo]

Blood pressure measures the pressure of blood in your arteries. As such it is a reflection of whether you have enough blood volume (not usually a concern unless you've been in an accident or are otherwise hemorrhaging) and also on how much elasticity your arteries have. In arterosclerosis ("hardening of the arteries") the arteries have less elasticity than normal and that raises the pressure.

Lastly it is an indication of how hard your heart is having to work to pump blood; as regardless of what has caused it (and there can be many causes including certain drugs, smoking etc) an elevated blood pressure means your heart is having to pump hard against some degree of resistance, and that is not good for the heart. It also carries with it an elevated risk of stroke.

Normal blood pressure simply means that you do not have hypertension, you have adequate blood volume (note that you could however still be significantly anemic) and you probably do not have significant arteriosclerosis in the peripheral arteries.

That's it. Any number of other things could still be wrong with you, so while it is important to check for hypertension and treat it if present, its absence is no guarantee of good health.

A comprehensive physical check-up would serve you better in that regard.

Thanks for that comprehensive explanation, I'm not going to waste money on health check-ups when there is nothing wrong, if something does go wrong then I will visit the hospital again, I was impressed with the hospital today, walked in and was given the blood pressure check within 5mins free of charge!!

[lopburi3]

And you know nothing is wrong how? That is what check-up are designed to find out (if norms are amiss and should be checked further). Blood pressure reading is one of those norms that are frequently checked (in US every supermarket/drug store/fire station will check free anytime. As this normally presents no systems it is a very good check for people who do not get medical check-ups but as said does not prove you are well. Depending on your age an inexpensive health check could be the best investment you every make if it finds a treatable condition. Some of us will never want to check - others will. Much as some never check the condition of there autos - others check for small troubles before they become serious.

[machans88]

is a regular comprehensive blood test worthwhile,i see in thailand they can be done for around 1000bht

[Sheryl]

is a regular comprehensive blood test worthwhile,i see in thailand they can be done for around 1000bht

You can get a variety of check up packages in Thailand for around that cost (some even less, and of course some more).

Exactly what tests it makes sense to have depends on your age, sex, prior medical history, family history and any symptoms present. A little research is warranted first as unfortunately the hospitals do not usually do a very good job of advising which package to get. Also, the packages are designed based on common health problems in Asian rather than Western populations.

Do not rely on a "package" necessarily being right for you personally. Note too that you can always add on additional blood tests to a package and this is often less expensive to do than going for a higher end package, particularly if the lower end one is lacking only 1 or 2 things you really need.

Any check-up should include the following and all the packages usually do:

complete blood count'

creatnine (tests kidney function)

fasting blood glucose

ALT, AST (tests liver function)

cholesterol - total, HDL, LDL (note: low end packages sometimes only total, add on the HDL/LDL)

urinalysis

People aged 50 or over should also get either 3 stool tests for occult blood or a colonoscopy/sigmodioscopy every 5-10 years as these have been proven useful in early detection of cancer of the colon.

Uric acid levels advisable in people over 50 plus anyone with a family history of gout or gout-like symptoms. Likewise TSH (thyroid) for people over 50 plus anyone with unexplained fatigue or other symptoms consistent with high/low thyroid function.

Women depending in age may need thin prep (pap smear), mammogram.

Bone density test advisable for post-meonpausal women and men over 50 but need be done only every 10-15 years if first is normal.

Smokers and people with a history of pulmonary and/or cardiac problems should have a chest Xray but it is NOT recommended routinely otherwise (unnecessary radiation exposure). It will usually be a part of any "package (in part because of the higher prevalence of TB in Asia) but you can decline it.

There is controversy over routine PSAs (prostate test). My personal opinion is that men over 50 could benefit from it provided careful research is then done if it is elevated before proceeding to any invasive tests. While an elevated result does not necessarily (or even usually) mean cancer , a negative result has good negative predictive power, and the rate of increase in elevated levels over time also have diagnostic and clinical utility.

Men over 40-50 and post-menopausal women with no known cardiac problems should consider an exercise stress test (though less often than yearly if negative). In addition to detecting many (though not all) cases of coronary artery disease it will also give a measure of your overall "cardiac fitness" and could signal the need for more exercise or other lifestyle changes before coronary artery disease sets in. People with known cardiovascular disease should discuss with their physicians what type of testing would be advisable.

Note that high end check-up packages in Thailand tend to include abdominal ultrasounds, this is based on the unusually high prevalence of liver cancer in Thais. It would not feature in a check-up package in the West and would not usually be recommended unless there were specific symptoms or findings. While non-invasive, ultrasounds often lead to unnecessary invasive tests and anxiety as they may often identify small cysts and so forth on various organs.

You can find the US Public Helath Service guidelines for preventive care here (note that it combined screening and counseling rceommendations) http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/clinicians-providers/guidelines-recommendations/guide/section1.html

And USPHS recommendatiosn specific to certain conditions here (click o nthe condition of concern) http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/clinicians-providers/guidelines-recommendations/guide/index.html Certain topics, including prostate cancer, are not listed as they are currently under review.