Australia's Biggest Blood Pressure Check

From my experience even very low blood pressure provides no guarantee against a stroke, although the combination of low blood pressure and a high level of fitness does appear to significantly reduce the probability of serious consequences.

Hi Doug, that is true. Have you heard of the new Guidelines for the Management of Absolute Cardiovascular Disease Risk? It makes recommendations that the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease – including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and age – are considered together instead of individually when treatment options for patients at risk are decided.Doctors will now consider treatment based on looking at a person’s risk factors for heart, stroke or vascular disease in a cluster.Doctors will be encouraged to move away from prescribing medication on the basis of individual risk factors such as raised blood pressure and instead be encouraged to focus on how all risk factors interact to contribute to a person’s risk of heart disease and stroke before deciding on treatment.This could mean that some people who are not receiving treatment may better manage their disease risk with medication and lifestyle change, while some people who are receiving treatment may, after a consultation with their doctor, be able to stop taking medications and continue to just focus on healthy lifestyle.By learning your personal overall risk, you have a better chance of preventing heart disease and stroke.