Big difference between Systolic and Diastolic

[DeusXM]

Ok, before anyone else suggests it, I AM seeing a doctor about this soon, just putting things out there for discussion.

I have high blood pressure. Everyone on my father's side of the family does and they all develop it in their 20s.

Un-medicated, I've seen my BP in the 150/90 area.

I'm on 100mg of Losartan at present. I've been doing readings at home and I've found that I'm getting uneven reductions - namely, my systolic sticks in the 145-155 area, whereas my diastolic has dropped down to 60-70.

Basic questions - am I right in assuming that neither sys or dia are more important than each other and that they BOTH need to be lowered (my personal target max is 120/75)? And secondly, is this huge gap between the two an issue? I have read various sources (not necessarily good ones) that suggest the gap is the bigger issue when it comes to CVD.

 

[Northerner]

I seem to remember being told that the diastolic reading is of greatest importance. I'm on similar medication (candesartan) and for me, along with my running, both my systolic and diastolic have reduced to around 100/60, so it does sound unusual to me that only one reading is showing a significant reduction. Hope your GP can clarify things for you!