Toneman

Hello, blood pressure of 138/84 is considered pre-hyptensive, most professionals dropped the "high normal" rating a few years ago. Your blood pressure should be under 120/80, to be considered healthy. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, starts at 140/90.

High blood pressure can be symptom of CAD, not necessarily a cause. I'm sure others will respond that may know more about that subject. When one has high blood pressure due to CAD it can be because the arteries are either narrowed already or have lost the elasticity, which helps absorb some of the pressure produced by each heart beat, due to hardening of the arteries. Having high blood pressure does not mean you have CAD though, so don't panic.

The major concern about high blood pressure is what it does to the heart, it can cause the chambers of the heart or become enlarged or cause the valves to not work properly. It can also cause damage to other organs in your body like your kidneys so it is very important to control your blood pressure.

Yours is only slightly elevated and simple life style changes should get you where you need to be. Maintain a healthy weight, watch your diet and exercise on a regular basis and your numbers should fall in line quickly. I am not a doctor, these are just things I've been told by my doctor. I was pre-hypertensive also and with the life style changes I spoke about and some help from Benicar HCT, a blood pressure medication, my blood pressure is at a healthy 105/65. I was 45 when I found out I had high blood pressure and tests after that time have shown my heart is still healthy so as you can see having high blood pressure does not necessarily mean you already have any underlying CAD or heart disease.

Good Luck!

Tony