Hi,

I am 20. Every time I go to the doctor, my diastolic BP number is normal--around 70 (I am thin and was told it's not abnormal for this number to be a bit lower that usual). However, the top number ranges from 120 to 140, usually being about 130. Yesterday my BP was 142/70. The doctor said because the diastolic is normal it's not a problem, but that doesn't really make sense to me. I got somewhat nervous, not wanting my BP to be high, but I don't know if that's the reason.

What are possible causes of only systolic being high? I probably should mention that my pulse has been 130-150, constantly, for a couple years now...I went to a cardiologist, did all kinds of tests...she could find nothing wrong and said some young people just develop high pulse rates. But could this be a cause or symptom of high blood pressure?

When an older person, in their 50s, 60s or 70s has a high systolic but a low diastolic, it is usually because of hardening of the arteries. But when a young person has that combination, the most common reason is simply anxiety. You say that you got nervous yesterday and that was the time your systolic was highest. Right?

Are you eating right? Avoiding the junk food and making certain you get plenty of calcium, magnesium and potassium can make a difference of around 10 points systolic for some people. Eat plenty of low-carb veggies for the potassium. Non-fat or low-fat dairy products are good for calcium.

Funny, I often have the same problem. My diastolic is usually well contained, but upon first getting my blood pressure checked, it's usually anywhere from the 120s to the low 140s. But after sitting for a while, it goes down below 120 and sometimes even below 110. I get very excited often, so that may be a reason. And that may be what the cause is for you as well.

Have you had your thyroid tested? It's probably not related, since you didn't mention any other symptoms, but hyperthyroidism can cause high systolic bp (among a lot of other things). I was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroid (Graves' disease) and a high systolic number was one of my symptoms.