How is bp measured in France?
It cannot be the same ss in the UK or US. I have mine checked regularly where I am told re-assuringly that is ‘140’ with a regular heartbeat. Once or twice the doctor does near cartwheels when I return ‘125’. Yesterday it was ‘150’ with the Doctor saying it was good.
Are these numbers ‘the top line’ ones? If so, the internet has me quite the opposite 
I’m surprised they say 140 or 125, they would normally say 14 or 12 and a half. They do worry about hypertension. Here’s a diagram intended for French people.
Thanks Vero, you have answered my question!
My doctor does not speak english to me, but his French is pure and he speaks slowly but he always uses English numbers for some reason. When I said in my first post 140, in fact his actual words are: il est bon, c’est one, four, zero.
I have always taken this to be 140! So your attachment is invaluable!
I am not good with medical jargon, and regard anyone who is as superior beings! I just go along with what the doctor reads from my annual blood test and put my trust in what he tells me to do!
But reading your chart, I am, at 14.0 above normal…maybe he knows that I am not going to change my diet and his ‘good’ is relative 
There seems to be several factors effecting blood pressure such as the bodies ability to make nitric oxide which allows for diltation of the arteries to aging that prevents blood flow into the fine capillaries. Could be worth asking for a CT angiogram to check for narrowing of the arteries,
Not just blood pressure. I have another measurenent where the result comes back in big round numbers in France, looks like some sort of cubic volume measurement. Instead of just very low single digit numbers with a decimal point with 1 digit after the point as in England.
The doctor asked what the measurement had been in England and initially seemed to think I was a bit slack as I couldn’t make any relation to the French measurement and explained it seemed to be using a different scale.
Mmol/litre vs mg/decilitre ? All gets a bit confusing.
Perhaps….is he an old school doctor? The chart that Vero linked is a more modern interpretation where 14 is considered mild hypertension. Previously it was known as pre-hypertension (what is now over 12).
But it is also quite individual , so may also be taking your overall physical condition into consideration as there is variation. If my diastolic was 8 I would be passed out on the floor!
To me it is worth making some effort to reduce this. Not necessarily some awful diet, but just carefully considering what you eat and making small changes. Salt is often the easiest one to tackle, as so much is packed into processed food including bread. So swapping out high salt items, drinking a bit more water and getting a bit more sleep could be enough.
Cardiologists are generally quite overloaded unless you are lucky, so would be a very long wait for a non-essential echo/CT.
My wife has high cholesterol, and instead of taking statins she has her arteries checked with ultrasound every year. Fingers crossed has been fine till now.
My blood pressure meter (Omron) measures blood pressure in “millimeters of mercury” - so 140 over 80 would be 140 mm/Hg systolic (when the heart is pumping) over 80 mm/Hg diastolic (when the heart is between beats).
So when your doc is saying “one-four-zero” he probably means 140 mm/Hg.
Google tells me that the French system is to divide these numbers by ten, so 140 over 80 would be quoted as 14/8 - they are working to the nearest 10mm/Hg in other words.
Blood pressure levels tend to rise as you get older so need to be read in the context of your age - generally high blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher and = low blood pressure is considered to be below 90/60mmHg, but in an older person 140/90 might be considered acceptable.
Disclaimer - I am not a medical professional, just an interested patient who takes pills to control high BP!
Not anymore! Can only quickly find a US reference but has all been reevaluated.
Well I’ll let you know what my quack says in a day or two - I’ve just sent in my current readings which are around 140/85. 
The Omron machine app classifies over 140/90 as “grade 1 Hypertension” and 130-139 over 85-89 as “high normal” so I am borderline on the current specs.
My home readings are always lower than in surgery readings. I always take a list of recent readings with me to my 3 monthly checks. The doc knows that moving about and 'blouse blanche syndrome" will bump it up and allows for it.
Yes me too - my Omron gadget connects to an app via Bluetooth so I have a complete record (when I remember to take readings that is!).
My BP is always off the scale if I get it tested at the doc’s!! You’re supposed to take measurements after sitting quietly for 10 mins and that doesn’t happen at the surgery.
Or using cmHg, which was my assumption and which is the measure in @vero 's helpful chart (as I realised when I had a proper squint at it).
Ah yes, you are right, they are being cunningly metric!!
Quack just sent a text - he wants to chat next Tuesday as he thinks my readings are “just above the range that we would like”.
White coat syndrome
Blouse blanche in French.
Or a pretty young nurse, Oh Matron…
