Is there a correlation between raised blood pressure and hardening of the arteries?
I check mine at home, not religiously, but perhaps a few days in succession ever other month or so just for the sake of it, always around the 120 / 70 range or under, has been for years, even if I have it done at a surgery.
The reason I ask is I’ve heard of quite a few guys around my vintage, 52, some older, some way younger who presented as otherwise healthy - including blood pressure - and active but got a nasty surprise after angiograms revelled they were on the brink a coronary event due to blocked arteries. One I know who only visited his doctor after ‘feeling like absolute shit for a week’ for example now presumably owes his life to the five stents in his right coronary artery. The inverted T-waves are a huge tell, apparently. Big strong bloke who lifts three times per week to.
So, what would your advice be for a otherwise healthy middle aged guy with zero symptoms, but just wants to be proactive here?
Is booking an angiogram a bit dramatic? Do less invasive methods exist? Try worrying about it less perhaps?
Good questions. Yes, high blood pressure is one factor (among others) that contributes etc atherosclerosis. However, it is not the only risk factor for this process. Blood lipids (cholesterol) is a more significant risk factor than blood pressure for coronary heart disease (although again, many factors play a role here, including blood pressure and genetics).
Our specific recommendations are laid out in these articles (and accompanying podcasts).
In your situation I would aim to ensure that you are hitting all 7 of the health priorities listed in the above article, including blood pressure, blood lipid, physical activity, and waist circumference targets as particularly high priorities. Based on what you have said here, there is no reason to pursue an angiogram. Depending on where your other risk factors lie, some might pursue a coronary artery calcium assessment, although this is unlikely to be helpful or change treatment recommendations in most situations anyway. In general, these are all things that would require consultation and assessment with your primary care physician, or we can discuss this with you if you’d like as well.