Concerned About Blood Pressure And Heart Rate. Worried About Heart Disease. What Do You Think?

Posted on Wed, 27 Jun 2012

Question: Good Day Doctors,
I'm a 23 years old male and my height is 180 cm and weight is 85.5 kg, I measured my pressure and it was 120/64 with 65 heart rate. It has been always in this range 115-130/60-70, I'm really concerned about the gap between them because I red alot on the internet and I'm freaking out thinking that I might have a heart disease. what do you think ?

Answered by Dr. Andrew Rynne MD (2 hours later)

Hi there. Thank you for posting your question. I will do my best to help you.

Your blood pressure (BP) and heart rate are normal and will continue to be normal for many many years to come, probably for the rest of your life.

Be careful that you do not join the ever growing league of cyber-neurotics!

Heart disease, as in coronary artery disease (CAD), is determined by two very important factors in this order:
(1) Genes. If you have a bad family history of early death from CAD, like say a mother, father, uncle dropping dead at 52 from heart attack; then you need to take extra care.

(2) Life style. No exercise, anxiety, smoking, junk food, obesity etc all bad.

If you have any of (2) above then change them. Forget about checking you BP and heart rate on one of those home monitor things. This, at your age, is neither here nor there.

I hope that I have answered your questions fully and been of some help. If you have anymore questions please contact me again anytime.

Dr Andrew Rynne.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Andrew Rynne MD (13 minutes later)

Thank you Dr.Rynne
As for Genes, actually no body in my family has ever suffered from heart attacks or other heart diseases. and for the second one, i'm actually not a smoker and and I excercise regularly but I might be anxious sometimes and my diet is not perfect but I try my best to stay away from junk foods and soft drinks.

I thank you again, you've been of a great help. I'm so relieved after your answer and I hope you all the best.

Regards

Follow up: Dr. Andrew Rynne MD (5 minutes later)

I'm sorry but a I did'nt understand "cyber-neurotics" ?

Thanks

Answered by Dr. Andrew Rynne MD (45 minutes later)

You are so welcome!

Alright, sorry. I did not mean the term "cyber-neurotic" to be in any way derogatory or dismissive -- not that you necessarily took it that way.

Here, in a nutshell, is how I see it as a practising face to face doctor and as someone interested in Online medical consultation.

The Internet is fantastic. Google and other search engines are fantastic sources to instant knowledge. Yet there are things in life, like medicine, like science, like animal behaviour or whatever, that will always need direct human intelligence, knowledge and interpretation -- most of all interpretation.

The Internet and it's search engines can not do this for you. Raw data is not enough. Yet every day I see people being led down frightening and erroneous pathways convincing themselves that there must be something terrible wrong with themselves based on uninterpreted and often erronious data that they are left to struggle through alone.

They can actually make themselves sick this way. It is a new Internet illness and I call "cyber-neurosis".

Thanks for asking this good question and good health to you.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Andrew Rynne MD (37 minutes later)

Thank you so much doctor, I got what you mean.

I wish you all the best.

Regards

Answered by Dr. Andrew Rynne MD (15 hours later)

Hi,

You are welcome. If you like my answers and wish me to answer in future, bring it to my attention, “Dr. Andrew Rynne”.

Cheers. Stay healthy.

AR

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad