Blood Pressure and Rosacea

[Guide]

NPR is reporting about the New Guidelines published in 2017 for blood pressure in a series of articles. In one article NPR writes, "In the end, they were unanimous in endorsing a lower standard, believing it would reduce risk and be worth the extra medications for people at high risk. Importantly, they did not change the standard for low-risk individuals....The days are pretty much over when doctors could walk into the office and tell people what to do, write a prescription and expect them to comply. Decisions about care shouldn't be edicts. When that happens patients tend to tune out and leave prescriptions unfilled....Overnight, many people discovered that they are now considered to have high blood pressure. With so many people now being considered hypertensive, maybe we should start thinking of it as less of a clinical condition and more as an opportunity for many people to work on ways to promote better health." [1]

Another article states, "Now, if your blood pressure tops 130 over 80, you are in unhealthy territory. Having an accurate measure is important because more people than ever may be keeping a close eye on their blood pressure and trying to keep it in a healthy range through diet, exercise and potentially medications." [2] The article explains, "The new guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, released Tuesday, which lowered the threshold for diagnosing high blood pressure from 140/90, mean that nearly half of the U.S. population will be considered as having high blood pressure, with the greatest impact on younger people....There is no single number that determines your blood pressure — it can vary throughout the day and be influenced by something as simple as being approached by a well-meaning nurse carrying a blood pressure cuff. So the new checklist says the diagnosis of high blood pressure requires at least two readings on separate occasions." [2]

What has blood pressure have to do with rosacea?  One of the longest lasting theories of the cause of rosacea is that is a vascular issue. Many rosaceans take blood pressure medication such as Carvedilol to prevent flushing. You should be aware of these new guidelines if you accept prescription drugs to lower your blood pressure to prevent flushing. 

End Notes

[1] With Stricter Guidelines, Do You Have High Blood Pressure Now?, All Things Considered, HARLAN KRUMHOLZ, NPR

[2] Odds Are, They're Taking Your Blood Pressure All Wrong, RICHARD HARRIS, Morning Edition, NPR

[Mistica]

I'd like to reply to this thread by linking the following article by Dr Brownstein. 

Pharmaceutical companies are always on the lookout to make an extra buck at the expense of the patient's health.

http://blog.drbrownstein.com/new-hypertension-guidelines-same-old-song/

Too low a B/P triggers flushing in me. It sits around 95/62. When it drops lower I develop flushing and other symptoms. Of course I flush due to other triggers too.

My mother, who had vascular dementia suffers worsened symptoms and at times, deterioration when her B/P becomes too low. Her brain becomes hypoxic. She has been evaluated by medical professionals and such effects are demonstrated in studies.

Hypoxia has been suggested in the facial veins of rosaceans too. I believe Prof Peat spoke about it. In his article, I believe he was talking about hypoxia induced by endotoxins for example, but I imagine there could be more than one cause.

 

 

 

[Guide]

I read the Brownstein article which is a good read. When I was an EMT in my training I was also told to add 100 to the patients age to reach the systolic threshold. If the patient's systolic was higher than this number the patient had high blood pressure. I still feel the same way about what is considered high blood pressure and also feel the same as Dr. Brownstein about these new BP standards.  Thanks for the article. 

I have always had low blood pressure. At the end of 2015 I had heart issues and was in the hospital for 12 days they gave me a plethora of cardiac drugs, many of them lowering my blood pressure further, until they came up with a concoction of a handful of drugs I was to take after leaving the hospital and took them along with lasix for about year, After drastically changing my diet (no alcohol or coffee for a year) and increasing my exercise I got dramatically better and now only take 25 mg of Carvedilol and one 81 mg of aspirin a day. My blood pressure is still low. My heart is a lot better. Flushing?  I flush no more than the general population.