Systolic or upper pressure (as it is sometimes called, because it shows a screen sphygmomanometer top number) - a blood pressure during the contraction of the heart, i.e. when the heart muscle pushes the blood into the arteries. High top pressure - this is when a person has elevated systolic blood pressure (it exceeds 140 mmHg) but the diastolic pressure is normal, ie below 90 mm Hg.

Systolic hypertension is the most common form of hypertension in patients older than sixty years. It is most common among older women. For people over fifty years of high top pressure is one of the factors that increase the risk of heart disease or stroke.

What does a high top pressure

Until the 1980s, diastolic, or lower the pressure, considered the most important parameter to predict changes in the health status of patients suffering from hypertension. Accordingly, most of the clinical studies on this subject, also focused on the diastolic blood pressure and ways to normalize it. Then came the scientific evidence showing that an increased systolic pressure is at least as important a factor as high diastolic blood pressure High diastolic blood pressure - the problem is serious . According to some studies, high top pressure is even more serious risk factor, especially when assessing the likelihood of stroke.

This disorder often occurs particularly in the elderly, it is known that a systolic pressure increases with age, while diastolic often stabilized or reduced. Hence, in these patients increased pulse pressure (which is calculated by the formula: systolic pressure minus diastolic pressure). To date, experts have concluded that increased pulse pressure is a more significant indicator for predicting the development of cardiovascular disease than itself high systolic pressure.

Until a few decades ago was diagnosed with isolated systolic hypertension, if the upper pressure exceeds 160 mm Hg, and the lower the pressure was less than 90 mm Hg. By modern standards, this violation is diagnosed when systolic pressure greater than 140 mm Hg. For the diagnosis of high blood pressure should be recorded several times during at least one month.

91% of patients with a high upper pressure needs treatment; among people with high diastolic pressure Increased diastolic pressure: Causes and Symptoms   in need of treatment significantly less - 22%. Today, some experts believe that the diagnosis and monitoring of patients over fifty years old, suffering from hypertension, it is possible to consider only the upper pressure. This opinion requires further investigation, but no one doubts that for people of mature and elderly systolic blood pressure is a major factor that helps predict the development of many dangerous diseases. Fortunately, isolated systolic hypertension may be treated as well as other forms of hypertension; To do this, change the way of life, and sometimes taking medication.

Those who do not have diseases that can be complicated by systolic hypertension, it is necessary to ensure that the pressure is below 140/90 mm Hg. In diabetes and renal diseases pressure should be below 130/80 mm. In the treatment of systolic hypertension it is very important to ensure that the diastolic pressure dropped below 60 mmHg (the people are very elderly and in patients with coronary heart disease - less than 65 mm).

The reasons for the high top pressure

The development of isolated systolic hypertension may contribute to a number of disorders, such as anemia, excessive activity of the thyroid gland or the adrenal gland, disturbances of the aortic valve, kidney disease and even obstructive sleep apnea. But in most cases the main cause of this disorder is age-related changes, which are subject to the walls of large arteries.

Healthy arteries dilate when the heart pumps blood into them, and then reduced. With age, the arterial walls gradually loses elasticity, as a result their ability to expansion and contraction is reduced. In addition, aging changes and other factors contribute to the formation of fat deposits in the arteries, which can lead to such disorders as atherosclerosis. As a result, the walls of the arteries become more rigid, and the lower the elasticity of the arteries, the higher arterial resistance, and the harder the heart to cope with their work. As soon as the artery walls become less elastic, diastolic blood pressure decreased and systolic blood pressure increases. Typically, after fifty years diastolic pressure equalized, and the upper pressure can grow throughout life further.

Gender, in particular, related especially aging Internal and external aging: it is necessary to think in advance Also play a role in the development of systolic hypertension. Up to fifty-five women less likely than men to suffer from high blood pressure, but at that age the number of women with high blood pressure increases much faster than the number of men with hypertension; especially the rapidly increasing number of patients suffering from systolic hypertension. The exact causes of the high pressure at the top of the mature women and elderly are not clear, but most likely that a major role is played by hormones. Some evidence suggests that estrogen protects women from developing hypertension.

Animal studies have shown that the hormone prevents a decrease in the elasticity of the artery walls and reduces the likelihood of the development of atherosclerosis; relevant research involving humans has not yet been carried out. We can assume that after menopause, when estrogen levels begin to decline, the risk of arterial wall stiffness and development of systolic hypertension increases significantly.

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