Diving with BP at 140/102?

[Shawn C]

Male, 53, 6"1, 210 lbs (15 lbs overweight) with blood pressure 140/102. How much risk am I diving? What can I do to mitigate my risk? TIA

 

[Ghost95]

I fight high BP too and I know it can be frustrating. I don't know if this is a single reading or average over time but your systolic is a bit high and the diastolic is worse. Get a cardiac workup and a Dr's clearance before beginning diving or an exercise regimen for that matter.

Get your doc to help monitor the BP. Those machines in the grocery store can be way off.

 

[Shawn C]

It was taken at a hospital. My wife had an appendicitis and I took the opportunity to use the BP monitor. The alarms went off and a nurse came by immediately and first told me off, and then, told me to see my doctor. Which I have yet to do I strongly suspect that I have already been diving for several years with this BP.

 

[Ghost95]

Yep. I did allot of stuff with high BP and, unknowingly, a severely blocked artery. I was just lucky.

Stress of being at the hospital with your wife going through a procedure could have pushed BP up but I'd still check with a cardio doc. I was 41 with and had a 100% blockage. It happens.

Good luck.

 

[rongoodman]

When I saw the title I thought it was going to be another question about BP/W. The obvious answer is for you to see your doctor, work on dropping some weight, and add some exercise if you aren't doing so already. Also realize that a single reading doesn't mean much in isolation.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

What @rongoodman said. Your wife being in the hospital for a medical emergency could be anxiety-provoking enough to raise your blood pressure. Serial measurements are best for determining baseline BP. If it's found to be regularly high, then a talk with your family practitioner about mitigation strategies would be good. Any diving determination would have to be made after that.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Male, 53, 6"1, 210 lbs (15 lbs overweight) with blood pressure 140/102. How much risk am I diving? What can I do to mitigate my risk? TIA

What @rongoodman said (though 6'1" and 215 doesn't strike me as being too overweight). Your wife being in the hospital for a medical emergency could be anxiety-provoking enough to raise your blood pressure. Serial measurements are best for determining baseline BP. If it's found to be regularly high, then a talk with your family practitioner about mitigation strategies would be good. Any diving determination would have to be made after that.

And, don't mess with hospital equipment, it makes the nurses nervous

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Get a home BP monitor and take it regularly, record the readings over time and look for trends/averages. Undiagnosed high blood pressure is a silent killer. Not saying you have hypertension, but simple home BP cuffs are cheap. Or use the free machines in stores and record it on your phone. Different times of the day, different days, etc. I have well controlled high BP due to bad genetics. I've been on meds (the kinds not contraindicated for diving) for almost as long as I've been a diver. There are inexpensive treatment options if you DO in fact have hypertension that are perfectly safe for divers. Managing high blood pressure, if you have it, is FAR better than letting it go untreated.

 

[Big Dan K]

I agree with the above comments. I have hypertension too. Medication and exercise control it well and I am safe to dive. But if your doctor starts you on a new medication, make sure it does not overly dehydrate you. Most blood pressure meds dehydrate me, but some are manageable, others were not

 

[Ghost95]

I believe that Losartan is one of the BP meds ok for diving.