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Wide Pulse Pressure: What Your Reading Means For Your Health

Medically reviewed by Anisha Shah, MD

A wide pulse pressure is when the difference between the top number (systolic) and bottom number (diastolic) of your blood pressure reading is more than 100 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) apart. Older adults and high-performance athletes often experience wide pulse pressure.

This article explains additional causes of wide pulse pressure and what it means for your health.

Fiordaliso / Getty Images

Wide Pulse Pressure Range: Understanding Readings

Your blood pressure comprises two numbers—systolic and diastolic pressure—measured in millimeters of mercury—and indicate the following:

Your pulse pressure is the difference between your systolic and diastolic blood pressure. You can find your pulse pressure by subtracting your diastolic (bottom) number from the systolic (top) number.

Calculating Pulse Pressure

A healthy blood pressure is 120/80 mmvHg or less. Using this number as an example, this is how you calculate pulse pressure: 120 minus 80 equals 40. So, a person with a blood pressure reading of 120/80 has a pulse pressure of 40 mm Hg.

A wide pulse pressure refers to a difference of 100 mmHg or higher between those two numbers. However, some healthcare providers believe a difference of 60 mm Hg or higher is significant and may indicate worsening heart health.

Related: Heart Valve Disease Facts and Statistics: What You Need to Know

Possible Causes of Wide Pulse Pressure

Potential causes of a wide pulse pressure include:

  • Advanced age: Blood pressure often increases with age. However, after age 55, it's common for the systolic pressure to increase and the diastolic pressure to decrease.

  • Intense athletics: Intense exercise can affect stroke volume (volume of blood pumped out of the heart's left ventricle per beat) and lower systemic vascular resistance (resistance in the arteries to blood flow).

    • Certain conditions are thought to contribute to a wide pulse pressure as well, including the following:

  • Atherosclerosis: This disease causes the arteries to become stiff, adversely impacting blood flow and contributing to higher systolic pressure.

  • Distributive shock: This medical emergency occurs when the body doesn't circulate enough blood to the brain, heart, and kidneys.

  • Tobacco use disorder: This is an addiction to tobacco. Tobacco includes nicotine, which is an addictive substance.

    • Wide Pulse Pressure Effects (and Risks)

    A wide pulse pressure may indicate higher risk for certain health problems, including:

    Where to Get Your Blood Pressure Checked

    There are a few places to get your blood pressure checked:

  • At a healthcare provider's office

  • At a pharmacy that has a self-kiosk for a blood pressure check

  • At home, using a blood pressure monitor

    • When your blood pressure is measured, sit with your legs flat on the floor. Don't talk while your blood pressure is being taken. Use the bathroom ahead of time. Don't drink or eat for 30 minutes before you take your blood pressure.

    Does Everyone With Wide Pulse Pressure Have Symptoms?

    Not everyone with a wide pulse pressure will experience symptoms. The most significant indication that you have wide pulse pressure is the difference between the systolic and diastolic numbers.

    Many people with high blood pressure, sometimes associated with wide pulse pressure, will not have any symptoms either. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure or wide pulse pressure is to check your blood pressure regularly.

    Like wide pulse pressure, high blood pressure may not have any symptoms. When they do appear, symptoms of high blood pressure include:

  • Blood spots in the eyes

  • Dizziness

  • Facial flushing

    • Another sign of high blood pressure is the development of more severe health problems such as chronic kidney disease, eye damage, heart attack, and stroke. These may occur if high blood pressure remains uncontrolled or untreated.

    Related: What Is Abnormal Blood Pressure?

    Living With Wide Pulse Pressure: Treatment and Management

    Your healthcare provider may not recommend a specific treatment if you have wide pulse pressure. Pulse pressure is not used as widely as other measures to assess heart health. This may change as more research identifies pulse pressure as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

    If you have high blood pressure in addition to a wide pulse pressure, your healthcare provider may prescribe one or more types of medication, including:

    There also are lifestyle changes you can make to help manage high blood pressure, including:

  • Following a heart-healthy diet, such as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet

  • Maintaining or aiming for a healthy weight

  • Getting regular exercise

  • Avoiding smoking or vaping

  • Getting adequate sleep (for most adults, this is seven to nine hours a night)

  • Avoiding or minimizing alcohol consumption

  • Visiting a healthcare provider regularly

    • Summary

    Wide pulse pressure is a difference of more than 100 mmHG between your systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Causes of wide pulse pressure include advanced age, stiffening of the arteries, being a well-trained athlete, and smoking. A wide pulse pressure can be associated with certain types of heart disease as well as hyperthyroidism, dementia, and physical weakness.

    A healthcare provider may not recommend specific treatments for wide pulse pressure unless you have high blood pressure, too.

    Read the original article on Verywell Health.

    View comments


    Top 5 Most-Read PAH Content Of 2023

    This year's top 5 most-read articles on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) explored expert opinions on treatment approaches, data on newly emerging therapies, the impacts of alcohol, and more.

    The top 5 most-read pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) pieces on AJMC.Com this year included insights into health care professionals' opinions on right heart (RH) imaging, the approval of new treatments, treatment outcomes in subpopulations, as well as the influence of alcohol consumption on blood pressure.

    These are the top 5 most-read PAH articles of 2023.

    5. GERD Treatment May Yield More Favorable PH Outcomes for Patients With Codiagnoses

    Current treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) involve medications such as proton pump inhibitors that can reduce the acidity of aspirations in these patients. After observing that patients with pulmonary hypertension also indicated with GERD experience better outcomes, researchers hypothesized that these treatments could have a protective effect for patients enduring lung disease.

    Read the full article.

    4. More Evidence Needed to Clarify the Role of Right Heart Imaging in PAH

    A total of 17 experts from the field of pulmonology and cardiology completed 3 assessments on how right heart imaging (RH) influences treatment decisions in PAH. As many agreed on the long-term benefits RH imaging can provide for disease monitoring, survey results expressed a wide degree of variability in RH imaging implementation, stressing the need for improved risk-assessment algorithms and parameters in this area.

    Read the full article.

    3. ICER to Review Sotatercept for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

    In the late spring of 2023, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review said it would assess the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of sotatercept as a therapy for PAH. Sotatercept counteracts the underlying mechanism of PAH that consequently constricts pulmonary vessels, making it the first treatment to directly act on the cause of disease. Upon acceptance by the FDA, sotatercept could be available in the US market in 2024.

    Read the full article.

    2. Data for Therapies to Treat Cholesterol, PAH Highlight ACC Scientific Sessions

    This year's American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Session accepted over 4000 abstracts across 84 countries and took place in New Orleans, Louisiana. Among the highlighted presentations ahead of the event were those covering value-based care, the development of new treatments for PAH and cholesterol, special topics in cardiology, and more.

    Read the full article.

    Check out all the coverage from ACC 2023.

    1. Elevated Systolic Blood Pressure Linked to Alcohol Consumption

    Meta-analyses on the relationship between alcohol consumption and blood pressure increases are lacking, especially regarding more minimal alcohol consumption. To investigate and elucidate this relationship further, investigators conducted systemic search of studies reporting on these associations. Researchers' findings suggest that elevated systolic blood pressure and alcohol consumption have a direct and linear relationship and, alarming, no threshold seems to exist here.

    Read the full article.





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