BP norms for any person is something to be discussed with his/her doctor.
Interestingly my moderate to high pressure went away when I started on Vitamin D (per doctor advice for an entirely different reason, radiation therapy). Now I am hearing "it's a thing". People who start on Vitamin D are often seeing lower pressures. They say it only happens if you have a deficit in D, but that most elderly DO have due to their not being out in the sunshine a whole lot. Who knew. This old retired RN sure didn't. Could be coincidental. Who knows. But whatever the reason I'll take it.
Back to you. Do discuss important medical issues with the experts involved. A positing of such questions to a forum of strangers may result in a bunch of wildly varied and dingy responses (such as "Take vitamin D, why don't you").
This is a high. Feeling fine has nothing to do with high blood pressure. Its a silent killer. You need to call his doctor.
"A blood pressure reading of less than 140/90 mm Hg is often considered a reasonable target for a 91-year-old, though some doctors recommend a target of less than 130/80 mm Hg for healthy older adults."
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for strokes. Strokes stink. I suggest that your father have an appointment with his health-care provider and find out the pros and cons of treating the high blood pressure and not treating the high blood pressure.
Only his doctor can answer your question. Yes, your father could have a "baseline" blood pressure which is higher than the standard, but if 160 is his norm, that's too high. But, just because he feels fine, does not mean high blood pressure is not a problem.
The reason that Hypertension is called the "silent killer" is because people ignore their symptoms, or some people do not experience noticeable symptoms. 140/90 is commonly considered high blood pressure.
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Interestingly my moderate to high pressure went away when I started on Vitamin D (per doctor advice for an entirely different reason, radiation therapy). Now I am hearing "it's a thing". People who start on Vitamin D are often seeing lower pressures. They say it only happens if you have a deficit in D, but that most elderly DO have due to their not being out in the sunshine a whole lot. Who knew. This old retired RN sure didn't. Could be coincidental. Who knows. But whatever the reason I'll take it.
Back to you. Do discuss important medical issues with the experts involved. A positing of such questions to a forum of strangers may result in a bunch of wildly varied and dingy responses (such as "Take vitamin D, why don't you").
"A blood pressure reading of less than 140/90 mm Hg is often considered a reasonable target for a 91-year-old, though some doctors recommend a target of less than 130/80 mm Hg for healthy older adults."
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Yes, your father could have a "baseline" blood pressure which is higher than the standard, but if 160 is his norm, that's too high.
But, just because he feels fine, does not mean high blood pressure is not a problem.
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