Milosevic blood pressure puts health at risk
Even when relaxed, Slobodan Milosevic’s blood pressure is above normal. At times of stress during his war crimes trial, doctors say it shoots up to dangerous levels.
The details of the former Yugoslav president’s heart condition were discussed in open court today, and UN judges in The Hague postponed the opening of his defence case on the advice of doctors, who said Milosevic’s high blood pressure has damaged his heart.
Milosevic, aged 62, has been defending himself since the start of his trial in February 2002. The task has meant long hours in court, and long hours in his jail cell researching witnesses and preparing cross-examinations.
The case has frequently been delayed because of fatigue or hypertension.
According to a doctor’s report read in court, Milosevic has suffered “organ damage” due to high blood pressure, including “hypertrophy of the left ventricle”, meaning an enlargement of the main pumping chamber of the heart.
Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury, or mmHg, units.
At times of stress, Milosevic’s blood pressure rises to 200/130 mmHg, and falls to around 140/80 mmHg when he is relaxed, said the report read by presiding judge Patrick Robinson.
The first number reflects blood pressure as the heart beats, the second is the pressure between beats. A normal reading is 120/80 mmHg or less.
According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure increases risk of heart attacks and stroke.
”Recent studies show that in adults 40-89 years old, the risk of death from heart disease and stroke begins to rise at blood pressures as low as 115/75 mmHg,” the Association warns.
According to the Association’s guidelines, the risk of heart attack doubles with each 20/10 mmHg of pressure above normal.
“The higher the blood pressure, the greater is the chance for heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney disease,” the Association says.
