What is the normal value?

The second blood pressure value is the so-called diastolic blood pressure value. This should be around 80 mmHg in adults. An increase in diastolic blood pressure is said to occur from a pressure of 100 mmHg in combination with a systolic (first) blood pressure value of over 140 mmHg.

From a value of 120 mmHg onwards, the second value is considered elevated independently of the first value. This is known as malignant (malignant) hypertension (high blood pressure). In children, different blood pressure values are used depending on age. Until the age of about 10 years, diastolic blood pressure should be below 70 to 80 mmHg. At 15 to 18 years of age, the blood pressure has reached that of adults, the diastolic normal value is now 80 mmHg.

Causes

There are many reasons why the second blood pressure value alone is too high, and these are still being researched. It is assumed that in the context of classical high blood pressure, in some cases the first cause is that only the second blood pressure value is too high. The general causes of hypertension are then responsible.

The blood pressure is primarily determined by two things: First, the amount of blood circulating in the body, which the heart pumps through the vessels; second, the diameter and elasticity of the blood vessels themselves. The vessels can be damaged by a variety of causes. The main causes of high blood pressure in this context are smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and poor diet.

What they all have in common is that they have damaging effects on the blood vessels. Cigarette smoke and high blood lipid levels lead to narrowing of blood vessels. This is caused by deposits of fats and dead cells in the vessel wall.

The lack of physical activity supports this effect. In addition, without sport, the circulation is not trained sufficiently and high blood pressure values occur. Above all, the constriction in the peripheral vessels causes the second blood pressure value to be too high.

In addition to these external factors that can be influenced, various basic diseases are also among the causes of a high second blood pressure value.It has been shown that the isolated elevation of the second blood pressure value is often associated with thyroid disease. Thus, a too high second blood pressure value is associated with an underactive thyroid. This should be taken into account in the diagnosis.

Vascular diseases can also lead to an isolated increase in the second blood pressure value. In particular, renal artery stenosis should be mentioned here. In this case, the blood supply to the kidney is reduced so that it reacts by increasing the blood pressure.

In rare cases, a hormone-producing tumor is responsible for high blood pressure. This tumor called pheochromocytoma releases adrenaline. This constricts the blood vessels and increases the pressure.

The latter are rare causes. In most cases, the elevated second blood pressure value is followed by an increase in the first. The thyroid gland usually raises the blood pressure when there is hyperfunction.

This increases the heart rate and blood pressure, and affected persons sweat more. The metabolism is also stimulated, so that more energy is consumed by the body and weight loss often occurs. The causes of hyperthyroidism can be small nodules in the thyroid gland, which become independent and produce more thyroid hormones. These can be both benign and malignant processes.