Isolated systolic hypertension: A health concern?

Can isolated systolic hypertension be cured?

Treatment for isolated systolic hypertension. ISH can be treated like other forms of hypertension. The goal is to reduce your systolic blood pressure to below 140 mm Hg. This can be accomplished by lifestyle changes, medication, or both.

If systolic blood pressure rises but diastolic blood pressure stays within an acceptable range, the condition is called isolated systolic hypertension. Isolated systolic hypertension happens when the diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and the systolic blood pressure is 130 mm Hg or higher. Isolated systolic hypertension is the most common form of high blood pressure in people older than age 65. Younger people can have this type of high blood pressure too.

Isolated systolic hypertension can be caused by conditions such as:

Artery stiffness
An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
Diabetes
Heart valve disease
Obesity

Having a high systolic blood pressure over time can increase the risk of strokes, heart disease and chronic kidney disease. The recommended goal for systolic pressure for adults younger than age 65 who have a 10% or higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease is less than 130 mm Hg. For healthy adults who are age 65 or older, the recommended treatment goal for systolic pressure is also less than 130 mm Hg.

Managing isolated systolic hypertension

Controlling isolated systolic hypertension to prevent health problems requires medication. But it's important that the treatment to lower systolic blood pressure doesn't cause the diastolic blood pressure to drop too low. That can cause other complications. In addition to medication, lifestyle changes can help improve the systolic blood pressure reading. Important changes include:

Eating a healthy diet.
Decreasing the amount of salt in the diet.
Losing weight when indicated.
Increasing physical activity to at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity.
Drinking alcohol in moderation, if you choose to drink. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.

Your health care provider will ask you to come back for a follow-up appointment to make sure your treatment and lifestyle changes are improving your blood pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How Is It Treated?

Diuretics (water pills) to help your kidneys flush water and sodium from your body.
Beta-blockers to make your heart beat slower and less forcefully.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), or calcium channel blockers to relax your blood vessels.

Sheps, M.D. Anxiety doesn't cause long-term high blood pressure (hypertension). But episodes of anxiety can cause dramatic, temporary spikes in blood pressure.

Having a high systolic blood pressure over time can increase the risk of strokes, heart disease and chronic kidney disease. The recommended goal for systolic pressure for adults younger than age 65 who have a 10% or higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease is less than 130 mm Hg.

Based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2010, approximately 30% of persons aged 60 years and above have untreated isolated systolic hypertension, as compared with 6% in adults aged 40 to 50 years and 1.8% in young adults aged 18 to 39 years.