Cedars-Sinai: Women Have Lower Normal Blood Pressure Range Than Men
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A study at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found that women have a lower normal blood pressure range than men.
Already established blood pressure guidelines state that women and men have the same normal healthy range of blood pressure. However, the study from the Cedars-Sinai's Smidt Heart Institute found that while 120 mmHg was the threshold of risk in men, 110 mmHg or lower was the threshold of risk in women.
"Our latest findings suggest that this one-size-fits-all approach to considering blood pressure may be detrimental to a woman's health," said Dr. Susan Cheng, director of the Institute for Research on Healthy Aging at the Smidt Heart Institute and senior author of the study.
"Based on our research results, we recommend that the medical community reassess blood pressure guidelines that do not account for sex differences."
According to the hospital, 120 mmHg has been considered the normal upper limit for systolic blood pressure in adults for years.
Persistent elevations above this limit amount to hypertension — the key risk factor for common cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.
The study comprised more than 27,000 participants, 54% of whom were women.
With the new information, researchers now plan to study whether women should be treated for hypertension when their systolic blood pressure is higher than 110 but still lower than the systolic measurement of 120 for men.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
