Systolic Pressure Linked to More Problems

The risk of future health problems for people with high blood pressure depends on which type they have, a new study shows. Systolic pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading. Diastolic is the bottom number. In the study, high systolic pressure (140 or more) was linked with the most problems. Researchers looked at health records for more than 1 million people. They were at least 30 years old and did not have heart disease when the study began. Researchers kept track of them for about 5 years. People with high systolic blood pressure were more likely to have bleeding strokes, stable angina (chest pain) and narrowed arteries in the legs. High diastolic pressure (90 or more) was linked only with abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is a swelling of the body’s largest artery in the belly area.