Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Risk I
You are told that your BP is high - at how much of a risk are you, and what can you do?
One would think that after so many years of research, there would be a simple and unequivocal answer; unfortunately, there is not. The risk for increased Coronary Heart Disease risk can be calculated using the Framingham calculator, that we have also presented in the CHD risk section. A systolic BP above 160 assigns 2 extra "points" to one's risk, and this translates into a varying risk factor based on all the other factors. Typically this is results in an increase in risk of the order of 50%. (For a more precise evaluation, you should do the test using your data in the calculator).
One reference (first, previous page) evaluates the risk increase for Cardiovascular Disease, when one's BP is "high-normal" (systolic pressure between 130 and 139, or diastolic pressure between 85 and 89). They find that men's risk for CVD increases by 60% (Risk Ratio of 1.6, with a Margin of Error of 1.1 to 2.2; this does not leave one with much confidence regarding the precision of the result!). In women, the increase in risk is increased by a factor (Risk Ratio) of 2.5 (1.6 to 4.1 Margin of Error). This analysis shows that people within the "high-normal" range, have an increased risk relative to normal (80/120) BP.
The second reference (previous page) deals with elderly patients (60 years old or more, who are typically more at risk for most ilnesses compared to younger people). They find the following relative risk (RR) associated with a systolic BP increase of 10:
| Type of Event | Risk Ratio | Margin of Error |
|---|---|---|
| All cause mortality | 1.26 | 1.13 - 1.40 |
| Cardiovascular deaths | 1.22 | 1.06 - 1.40 |
| Cardiovascular events | 1.15 | 1.04 - 1.28 |
| Stroke | 1.22 | 1.04 - 1.40 |
| Coronary events | 1.07 | 0.91 - 1.26 |