An alumnus of the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Naval Parikh has been involved in medical research for more than two decades. The clinical site coordinator of NAPA Research in Boca Raton, Florida, Naval Parikh, MD, began gaining research experience as a research assistant responsible for interviewing and monitoring subjects for a study on hypertension.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects roughly 85 million individuals in the United States. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), there are five ranges of blood pressure: normal, elevated, hypertension stages one and two, and hypertensive crisis.
The normal range for blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg. When reading this, the first number refers to the systolic pressure, or the pressure at which the heart pumps blood throughout the body. The second number, meanwhile, refers to diastolic pressure. This pressure occurs when the heart relaxes and refills with blood.
When blood pressure is between 120/80 and 129/80, it is categorized as being elevated. Once a person has elevated blood pressure, his or her chance of developing hypertension in the future is much higher than normal. However, such individuals can control the condition with medication, exercise, and stress reduction before it becomes a problem.
Hypertension stages one and two occur at 130/80 mm Hg. Stage one hypertension refers to blood pressure that is between 130 and 139 systolic and between 80 and 89 diastolic. Past that point and up to 180/120 mm Hg, patients fall into the category of stage two hypertension. In these stages, a patient’s risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular events increases.
Finally, there’s hypertensive crisis. This category is reserved for patients who have blood pressure in excess of 180/120 mm Hg. Once in hypertensive crisis, patients need immediate medical attention and may experience such symptoms as shortness of breath, numbness, and chest pain.
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