‘My blood pressure is 193/110. I went to urgent care, they reviewed stroke protocol and said I need to go to primary doctor which is weeks away. Am I in danger? I am 58’

Can high blood pressure lead to stroke? That’s what a Quora user wanted to know: “My blood pressure is 193/110 mmHg. I went to urgent care and they reviewed stroke protocol and said I need to go to my primary doctor, which is weeks away. Am I in danger? I am 58”. So we turned to Dr Parin Sangoi, consultant, interventional cardiologist, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central, who told us that even if the person feels fine, a 193/110 reading must never be ignored. “Treat it as a red flag and get timely medical evaluation. Blood pressure this high always deserves swift attention, not delay,” said Dr Sangoi.

Stressing that 193/110 mmHg is a “really high reading,” he said: “In fact, that comes under what the medics term a hypertensive crisis.”

Even if you aren’t experiencing headache, chest pa