High Blood Pressure and anxiety

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi, My blood pressure level is 80 by 140. Is it right? I dont feel anything odd apart from a little pulse which I feel quite often. A friend of mine who is a doctorsays that considering my age, my BP is very high. I simply cannot isolate the reason because I don't have any anxiety. As a matter of fact I do have but I dont think that it will have so serious impact. I have to give my professional accountacy exams in December 2010. Thats the only anxiety on my mind. Further, I am living as a single. So my diet often includes fast food. Could that be the reason? My weight is currently 51 kg. My age is 23 years.

Dear Asif Ali:High blood pressure (BP) is usually diagnosed by a consistent elevation of BP readings, usually on three separate occasions greater than one week apart. Mild to moderate high BP is generally asymptomatic.There are many lifestyle measures that can be modified to lower blood pressure (BP). These include: Weight reduction with a target Body Mass Index of <25; reduced sodium intake <100mmol/day = 2.4g sodium; increased daily physical activity minimum of 30 minutes/day, limit alcohol intake <2 units/day for women and<3 units/d for men; smoking cessation; reduced saturated fat/cholesterol intake, adequate calcium and magnesium dietary intake and adequate intake of dietary potassium approx 90 mmol/d. The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) has been promoted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The current target BP is <140/90 for the general population, so you current BP is at the upper limit of normal. Anxiety can raise your BP, but lifestyle modifications and regular physical exercise may improve your BP and your anxiety symptoms.