Heart Care

Blood Pressure Guidelines

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recently released new clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, detection, and treatment of high blood pressure. The guidelines feature altered blood pressure categories, including a new "prehypertension" level-which covers about 22 percent of American adults or about 45 million persons.

St. Luke's Community Outreach department used the new guidelines in the following classifications and recommendations.

Classification	Systolic		Diastolic
Normal Pre-hypertension Stage 1 Hypertension Stage 2 Hypertension	<120 120-139 140-159 >160	AND OR OR OR	<80 80-89 90-99 >100

Lifestyle Change Recommendations
Weight reduction
Diet rich in vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products; low in fat/saturated fat
Regular aerobic exercise
Moderate alcohol intake
Quit or reduce tobacco usage

For a high blood pressure guide, click here.