Hello.

I am a 26 year old male, 6'3 and 190 pounds. I am reasonably fit although I have gone from heavy athletic training for 400m sprinting from early teens until I was 20, to an irregular exercise regime of maybe a run or a swim when ever I can be bothered. When I was running my BP was below 120/60 although I cannot remember exactly what it was back then. In the last year I have had my BP checked a few times by medical staff and it has always come up high: 155/70, 160/80 and 144/69 (possible "white coat effect") were some of the measurements I can remember. I have also checked it myself with the sit down tests in drugstores and the measurements have always fluctuated around these same numbers. Obviously something is going on here whether it be stress or physiological but what is worrying me is the large difference between my Systolic and my Diastolic. I have read that a high pulse pressure may be an indicator of something more serious?? I am wondering whether the hard training I did when I was younger, followed by a relatively seditary lifestyle maybe the cause of the high BP and High pulse pressure as its only the systolic thats high. I dont drink excessively or smoke and my diet is healthy although I am cutting sodium to see if that has an effect.

Any advise is welcome. I am booking a doctors appointment for this week and I dont just want to be brushed off with meds.

Thanks muchly.

pikey,

Invest in a home digital BP tester and take readings comfortably relaxed in an easy chair. Test often and over a monthe get a good handle on what your AVERAGE, RELAXED BP is.
The numbers in a sit-down tester at the Mall or even in a nervous-making doctor's office might not be truly representative.

A higher systolic or pulse pressure might indicate a a stiffening of the arteries and a tendency towards plaque formation.

But don't get nervous, often the readings at home show no need for concern, OR for hypertension drugs.