In addition, if hypertension develops at a young age or later, after age 50 or 60, this should be a red flag that something else is happening. Most hypertension, over 90 percent, doesn t have an identifiable cause. But in younger or older patients, it may be a signal that something else is wrong, such as hyperthyroidism, kidney disease or anemia. The higher, or systolic, pressure is the pressure in the artery when the heart s ventricles are contracting. The lower, or diastolic, pressure is the pressure in the artery when the ventricles are relaxing.
True hypertension can be difficult to diagnose.
For example, patients under emotional stress may exhibit a higher reading than normal. Or, the size of the blood pressure cuff used to take the reading may be incorrect. A cuff that is too small for a patient s arm could produce a high blood pressure reading. To diagnose hypertension, doctors should take two to three separate readings in two to three separate visits. The classifications of normal and hypertensive blood pressures are listed in the accompanying chart, provided by Dr. Henry Bussey.