A good blood pressure reading is 140 over 80. If it supposed to be around 80. Seventy-five to 85 is about right. If that diastolic pressure is sustained above 90, doctors get nervous and want to prescribe something, usually a diuretic that removes sodium from the body. It does work, but it also takes potassium from the system and potassium is the very element that the body needs to keep the lower diastolic pressure at that safe level around 80.
Older people are more likely to have elevated pressure.
Fifty percent of the population over age 50 years probably has high blood pressure. African-Americans are more susceptible to hypertension. Males are more likely to have elevated blood pressure. Other causes include obesity, sodium sensitivity, alcohol ingestion, oral contraceptives, and lack of exercise. Climate, stresses, poor diet, and injuries can all trigger a change in the delicate balance of the fluids and minerals, and, consequently some disease appears.