Wide Gap Between Top and Bottom Blood Pressure Numbers Thomas H.
Lee, M.D. - Harvard Health Q: I'm 72 and my systolic blood
pressure has been between 115 and 125 and pretty steady. The
diastolic number is low (55-65) and seems to be falling. Is the
difference between these two numbers important, and is the
falling diastolic number something to worry about? A: The
systolic pressure represents the blood pressure against the
vessel walls when the heart is pumping blood. Starting at about
age 60, it becomes the most important predictor of
cardiovascular problems like stroke and heart disease. You
should feel very good about your systolic blood pressure, which
is in a fine range. Diastolic pressure measures the force
exerted by blood against vessel walls when the heart is relaxing
between beats -- that's why it's the lower of the two blood
pressure numbers. With age, our arteries get a little stiff. As
a result, they don't stretch out as much every time the heart
beats, so more blood gets pushed right on through t