A valuable resource - http://www.bloodpressure-drs-practical-guide.com/pulsepressure.html

Texas_wedge
Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
in Kidney Cancer #1
Love and marriage; horse and carriage; kidneys and blood pressure - inadequate kidney function can cause high blood pressure and high blood pressure can cause serious kidney damage. So, those of us in the Lone Kidney Club need to pay particular attention to our blood pressure.

In following up on some speculations I'd arrived at on this subject, I discovered an excellent website which I think should be recommended reading for all of us:- http://www.bloodpressure-drs-practical-guide.com/pulsepressure.html

One point that is made clear in that website affects the majority of us, in our Club - i.e. those who are not in the first flush of youth - and that is that what we thought we knew about blood pressure now turns out to be not the whole story.

Below age 50 or so, it is bad news if you have a high diastolic blood pressure; from about 50 to about 60, the systolic figure becomes increasingly important; but for us oldies it's not good if either reading is high but it's worse still if our systolic pressure is a lot higher than our diastolic. So, contrary to what you'd expect, 170/100 is better than 170/70 for anyone in their 60s or older. A systolic of 170 is bad, and so is a diastolic of 100. However, although a diastolic of 70 would be fine with a systolic of, say 120 or 130, it's not at all good to have a difference of 100 (170 minus 70) - better to have a (bad) diastolic of 100 but a smaller difference of 70 (170 minus 100). There is a growing body of recent scientific research work that shows this to be true.

I raise my hat to the retired specialist who has gone to the trouble to put together such a valuable and informative site. In it you'll also find much good advice on how to lower your blood pressure for free by tweaking what you eat and drink, taking suitable exercise and so on. Not everyone is as keen as I am on reading this sort of stuff but if you do I'm sure you'll benefit from it.

Comments

  • MikeK703
    MikeK703 Member Posts: 235
    #2
    Terrific Resource
    Thanks, Texas! This web site should be subtitled "Everything you ever wanted to know about BP but were afraid to ask." I have a headache already but I'm going to keep reading. I never heard of "pulse pressure" before. Very interesting.
    Mike
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    #3
    MikeK703 said:

    Terrific Resource
    Thanks, Texas! This web site should be subtitled "Everything you ever wanted to know about BP but were afraid to ask." I have a headache already but I'm going to keep reading. I never heard of "pulse pressure" before. Very interesting.
    Mike

    Terrific resource
    Mike, I'm glad I'm not the only one here to consider this site a real find. I hope others in our Club gain something from it.

    Medical science is fairly pushing on in this area. I was theorising that the relationship between s. and d. blood pressure might interact significantly with heart rate and was very excited to find, yesterday, that beyond "pulse pressure" lies what I was looking for - something called "pulsatile stress" which is your pulse pressure x your heart rate (measured at the same point in time, of course, since all these measures fluctuate constantly from day to day and at different times of the day too). I'm sure that this biomarker will become very important quite soon and I'm going to keep delving into the research literature - have already found research papers in the fields of hypertension and diabetes that make fascinating reading.

    All the best,

    T.
  • rae_rae
    rae_rae Member Posts: 300 Member
    #4
    Texas_wedge said:

    Terrific resource
    Mike, I'm glad I'm not the only one here to consider this site a real find. I hope others in our Club gain something from it.

    Medical science is fairly pushing on in this area. I was theorising that the relationship between s. and d. blood pressure might interact significantly with heart rate and was very excited to find, yesterday, that beyond "pulse pressure" lies what I was looking for - something called "pulsatile stress" which is your pulse pressure x your heart rate (measured at the same point in time, of course, since all these measures fluctuate constantly from day to day and at different times of the day too). I'm sure that this biomarker will become very important quite soon and I'm going to keep delving into the research literature - have already found research papers in the fields of hypertension and diabetes that make fascinating reading.

    All the best,

    T.

    Interesting
    I was reading about studies done on live kidney donors regarding long term effects from surgery yesterday. Heart disease and high blood pressure ranked at the top. I thought about my father, who had a radical nephrectomy at age 49 due to cRCC. It wasn't the cancer that took him in the long run - he developed high blood pressure and had heart problems and died at the age of 62 of a heart attack. I never realized that their was a possible correlation.
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #5
    rae_rae said:

    Interesting
    I was reading about studies done on live kidney donors regarding long term effects from surgery yesterday. Heart disease and high blood pressure ranked at the top. I thought about my father, who had a radical nephrectomy at age 49 due to cRCC. It wasn't the cancer that took him in the long run - he developed high blood pressure and had heart problems and died at the age of 62 of a heart attack. I never realized that their was a possible correlation.

    Terrific indeed!!!
    T,

    I just spent a few minutes checking out the site and all I can say is WOW!! Mike is right, it is everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask. I expect to spend a considerable amount of time there learning to take a proactive approach to improved BP and overall health, I'm starting with the DASH diet.

    Thank you,

    Gary
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    #6
    garym said:

    Terrific indeed!!!
    T,

    I just spent a few minutes checking out the site and all I can say is WOW!! Mike is right, it is everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask. I expect to spend a considerable amount of time there learning to take a proactive approach to improved BP and overall health, I'm starting with the DASH diet.

    Thank you,

    Gary

    BP site
    Gary,

    So glad you like it too. I figured you would appreciate it and I hope you get some benefit from it.

    Please let me know how you find the DASH diet - I downloaded a book on it a few days ago but have so far been too busy to ingest either the book or the diet! I think my usual diet isn't too far off it although I must confess that I've just come in from a walk with my Wife and some shopping and have downed a mug of espresso to wash down a generous slice of cappuccino cake - still struggling not to guzzle the rocket fuel all day and night but feel virtuous to have had no alcohol for more than 2 weeks. I've cooked us fillet steak the past 3 nights (but small steaks by US standards!) and have been sorely tempted to a glass of red wine. I'm still on morphine so not a good idea but when I'm off it a small celebratory drink will sure be in order.
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #7
    Texas_wedge said:

    BP site
    Gary,

    So glad you like it too. I figured you would appreciate it and I hope you get some benefit from it.

    Please let me know how you find the DASH diet - I downloaded a book on it a few days ago but have so far been too busy to ingest either the book or the diet! I think my usual diet isn't too far off it although I must confess that I've just come in from a walk with my Wife and some shopping and have downed a mug of espresso to wash down a generous slice of cappuccino cake - still struggling not to guzzle the rocket fuel all day and night but feel virtuous to have had no alcohol for more than 2 weeks. I've cooked us fillet steak the past 3 nights (but small steaks by US standards!) and have been sorely tempted to a glass of red wine. I'm still on morphine so not a good idea but when I'm off it a small celebratory drink will sure be in order.

    DASH...
    T,

    I printed a copy from the site today and have given it the once over. I like what I have seen so far in that it is very flexible both in the variety of foods and the way in which you choose to use it. It is centered, of course, on BP and relies heavily on sodium intake, but offers different sodium and caloric options depending on your specific health priorities or goals, ie; moderate or extreme BP needs only or in combination with weight loss and exercise if needed. It also stresses a gradual introduction to a long term commitment approach which includes cutting yourself some slack if/when you slip. I plan to study it a bit more in depth, but at first glance it appears to make a lot of sense.

    Thanks again,

    Gary

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