Systolic blood pressure | HealthInfi

Arterial blood pressure is a pressure of blood in large blood arteries measured in millimeters of mercury.

• The level of blood pressure at the time of maximum heart contraction is called the systolic blood pressure (SBP).
• The level of blood pressure at the time of maximum heart relaxation is called diastolic blood pressure (DBP).

Systolic blood pressure is the most important indicator of the heart functional state. A significant increase in systolic blood pressure is one of the key risk factors for serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular pathologies, including:

• Coronary heart disease, uncontrolled hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial disease, and stroke.

High systolic blood pressure is much more dangerous to health than high diastolic blood pressure. Therefore, to reduce cardiovascular risks, a particular attention should be paid to the normalization of blood pressure at the time of maximum heart contraction.

At the end of the 60s, in the early 70s of the last century in Europe, there have been conducted several large studies, including:

• Systolic Hypertension – Europe (SYST-EUR)
• Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP)

The results of these studies have demonstrated that the decline in systolic blood pressure by only 12-13 mmHg reduces the risk of stroke – by 37%, and coronary heart disease – by 21%.

Furthermore, the study results of SYST-EUR and SHEP indicate that when reducing systolic blood pressure by 12-13 mmHg, mortality from cardiovascular diseases decreases by 25%.

A normal range of systolic blood pressure ranges from 90 to 120 mmHg. Any change in the range of systolic blood pressure may be a sign of hypertension or hypotension.

• Systolic blood pressure above 120 mmHg is a symptom of hypertension.
• Systolic blood pressure below 90 mmHg is a symptom of persistent hypotension.

Hypertension is one of the most common diseases that occurs because of high systolic blood pressure. For the reduction and effective control of systolic blood pressure, it is required a drug therapy chosen individually for each case.

Different types of medications for management of essential hypertension are available at the pharmaceutical market. When one of the hypertension signs is a high systolic and a normal diastolic blood pressure, for the effective control of hypertension, the following medications can be used

• Indapamide
• Amlodipine
• Candesartan

All of these medications are approved for the hypertension treatment, but included in different pharmacological groups.

• Indapamide – is a thiazide-like diuretic.
• Amlodipine – is a calcium antagonists
• Candesartan – is an angiotensin receptor blockers

Each of these medications helps to control systolic blood pressure and to reduce cardiovascular risks. Despite the fact that these three medications have the same effect, there are some differences between them.

Indapamide is an antihypertensive medication, which is most commonly prescribed at the initial stage of antihypertensive therapy. Just as other antihypertensive medications, Indapamide helps to reduce systolic blood pressure. However, given the fact that Indapamide does not provide a powerful antihypertensive effect, it should be used only for the treatment of the first and second stages of hypertension.

Indapamide medication for the reduction of systolic blood pressure can be sold under various trade names, including: Mapemid, Cardide, Varbim, Diurelix, Tertensif, Fludex, Tensaid, Indapres, Rawel, Indipam, Natrilix, Lorvacs. All of these medications are available at the UK pharmacies. If Indapamide diuretic does not provide a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure, it can be replaced by Candesartan medication. Unlike Indapamide, which can be prescribed only to adults, Candesartan can be used to decrease systolic blood pressure in children and adolescents aged 6 years and older.Read More