Did Blood Pressure And Lipid Profile. Taking Atenolol. Want To Know About Heart Condition And The Risks

Posted on Fri, 5 Apr 2013

Question: Hello Doctor,

My last few blood pressure readings are as follows:
31-Jan-13: 140/106 mm of Hg
07-Feb-13: 130/90 mm of Hg
14-Feb-13: 136/100 mm of Hg
07-Mar-13: 136/100 mm of Hg
14-Mar-13: 140/100 mm of Hg (first reading) & 130/100 mm of Hg (second reading)

Lipid profile done on 09-Mar-13 (total: 153 mg/dl, HDL: 28.6 mg/dl, LDL: 101.7 mg/dl, VLDL: 22.7 mg/dl). Please refer attached detailed test report on lipid profile.

Age: 31 yrs, Height: 181 cm, Weight: 84 kg.

Doctor has suggested to take Atenolol 25 mg (1 per day) on 14 Mar 13. Should I start taking the suggested medication as I would prefer to avoid it and improve things by some other means if possible as I am just 31 yrs old and don’t want to take medicine for life long for BP.

I would like to know about my present heart condition and future risk as my blood pressure and cholesterol values are not ideal. Based on doctor’s advice, I have increased physical activity (brisk walking, yoga) and avoiding outside foods as much as possible from last one month. My aim is to reduce weight by 4 kg, avoid physical inactivity and take more fruits and vegetables.

Thanks in advance.

Regards, XXXXXXX U

Answered by Dr. Venkat Sivayogi (5 hours later)

Hello XXXXXXX

Thanks for your query,

I appreciate your way of giving the every detail of your clinical history, now it will be easy for me to comment on your clinical condition.

As per the B.P recordings you have given, you are classified a stage -1 hypertension , but I am much concerned about your diastolic blood pressure , on average it is 100mm of Hg .

Coming the point of using anti-hypertensive medications, I strongly recommend you to start using the pills under guidance of physician because even the 10mm of mercury raise of diastolic blood pressure has higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

The normal values,
Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80, if the blood pressure is 120-139/80-89, then it's called pre-hypertension, if the blood pressure is 140-159/90-99 then it's called stage 1 hypertension, if the blood pressure is above 160/100 then its called stage 2.

Pre-hypertension can be managed with lifestyle modifications like exercise, eating low salt food ,yoga and meditation , but in case of stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension, the use of anti hypertension pills is strongly recommended.

About the choice of the antihypertensive pills for your age, the best suitable medications would be ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers.

If you have work stress, increased pulse rate, then beta blockers are first line drugs.

This medication will be decided by a treating doctor after you have been carefully examined.

Coming to your lipid profile, it is normal but the HDL is low, it should be above 40 in men, but they may not pose risk if you do regular workouts. The LDL and VLDL and total cholesterol are within normal limits.

So, I think I have cleared your doubts. If you need any further clarifications, write back to us.

Regards,
Dr.SIVAYOGI

Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T