Ask the doctor: How did my blood pressure suddenly become normal?

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Q.

Will your high blood pressure return? The odds are in favor of that happening — by age 75, three in four Americans have high blood pressure — though you can try to beat those odds with continued prevention efforts. Keep on top of your blood pressure by monitoring it at home now and then. Ask your doctor to check your meter to be sure it is giving accurate readings. Also, alternate the arm you use to take the readings. When atherosclerosis partly blocks the main artery carrying blood to one arm, a blood pressure measurement done on that arm can be lower than it is in the rest of the body. If your blood pressure is normal in both arms, you may be one of the people who doesn't need medicine with the right attention to diet and exercise.

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