Blood Pressure 100 Plus your Age - Minus 10 For Women

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2010/01/16 - Updated: 2025/02/11
Publication Type: Informative
Topic: Hypertension - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: This article examines the historical guideline that considered a normal systolic blood pressure to be "100 plus your age - Minus 10 for Females" and contrasts it with contemporary standards that advocate for lower blood pressure targets across all age groups. It discusses the natural tendency for blood pressure to increase with age and questions whether current lower targets are influenced by pharmaceutical interests. The piece references a 2013 publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which suggests that for adults over 60, maintaining blood pressure at or below 150/90 mm Hg may be sufficient, as reducing systolic pressure from 150 to 140 showed no significant health benefit. This information is particularly relevant for seniors and individuals with disabilities, as it encourages a critical evaluation of blood pressure management strategies and highlights the importance of personalized medical care - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

Everyone has different blood pressure readings, some are high, some low and most are in the middle. Many doctors have long held the belief that an acceptable systolic reading of blood pressure is 100 plus your age. However, "modern" physicians say normal blood pressure takes no account of age...

Main Item

A reading of 120mm/80mm is normal regardless, according to Mayo Clinic staff. But early 20th century blood pressure cuff users followed a "100-plus-age" rule of thumb to determine what was normal for age. Early 21st century doctors accepted increased "normal rates" as patients age, but within a much more limited range, according to the Mayo Clinic.

An article from 2013 published in the Journal of the American Medical Association now also suggests that blood pressure targets can be eased in older patients.

"The authors of the new guidelines, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., emphasized that they were not changing the definition of high blood pressure. Rather, they are recognizing that data from randomized clinical trials do not show that using drugs to nudge down systolic blood pressure from 150 to 140 provides any health benefit. Adults past their 60th birthday should maintain their blood pressure at or below 150/90 mm/Hg, according to the new guidelines. If patients are above that target, they should get medication from their doctors, the guidelines state." - Evidence-Based Guideline for the Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults.

So Just What is High Blood Pressure?

Despite accepting the 100 plus your age blood pressure reading in the past, today's medical textbooks are arguing over exact values and new blood pressure standards come out every few years placing the desirable blood pressure target values ever lower.

Is medicine fueling this war or might it just be the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry?

To lower blood pressure readings just 5 points on the blood pressure scale can mean billions of dollars. Among the top ten drugs prescribed in the U.S, blood pressure (hypertension) medications ensnare millions into the prescription drug trap.

A former NASA astronaut and family doctor, says the 100+ age guideline for "normal" blood pressure was around for decades. He also wonders if modern views on what is normal blood pressure arise from drug company involvement.

"In the 1970s, the target limit for initiating drug treatment was 160/95. This then became 140/90, then 120/90, and recently, 115/75, with a large number of organizations listed as in agreement," he says.

Blood pressures tend to rise naturally with age in both men and women so that a 130 systolic blood pressure of a 30-year old (roughly 100 plus the age) becomes 150 in a fifty year old and 160 in a 60 year old with male blood pressure readings exceeding female by around 10 mm Hg.

• The systolic pressure is the pressure peak with each beat of the heart (systole).
• The diastolic pressure is the basal pressure that is in the blood vessels during relaxation of the heart (diastole).

In a dramatic reversal in policy, on May 4, 2000, an expert committee announced that systolic pressure is the most accurate blood pressure measurement for older adults. The new guidelines hold true for all those with hypertension who are over age 40 - a group that makes up the majority of 50 million Americans with the disease.

Since blood pressure elevation is associated with increased all-cause death rates, lowering of blood pressures by whatever means can only be good for humanity - can't it?

Well, the pharmaceutical industry loves it - this focus makes them billions of dollars.

The medical community loves it - it's good for business and seems ethically correct, and the public likes it.

So began the worldwide focus on lowering blood pressure, the evolution of thousands of drugs designed to lower blood pressure, and of course, the beginning of a still growing multi-billion dollar business.

High blood pressure, as defined by the drug industry and medical doctors, is not an instant death sentence.

The goal of maintaining a blood pressure at or near 140/80 (now 115/75) is based on drug company hype, not science. These numbers are designed to sell drugs by converting healthy people into patients.

Prior to this ideal numbers for normal healthy blood pressure were based on the Framingham Heart Study (www.framinghamheartstudy.org), where "normal" hypertension was a reading of systolic 120 and diastolic 80 - and anything up to systolic 140 was considered acceptable or high/normal.

If high blood pressure were dangerous, then lowering it with hypertension drugs would surely result in an increase in lifespan? Yet, clinical trials involving hypertension medication show NO increased lifespan among users when compared to non-users.

Check your blood pressure reading according to age, and compare your numbers with the LATEST blood pressure recommendations.

Author Credentials: Ian was born and grew up in Australia. Since then, he has traveled and lived in numerous locations and currently resides in Montreal, Canada. Ian is the founder, a writer, and editor in chief for Disabled World. Ian believes in the Social Model of Disability, a belief developed by disabled people in the 1970s. The social model changes the focus away from people's impairments and towards removing barriers that disabled people face daily. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and achievements, check out his bio.