Question

A nurse is teaching a client who is newly diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes mellitus. For a client without diabetes mellitus, the target blood pressure is 140/90 or lower. Because this client has diabetes mellitus, the target blood pressure will be which of the following?

A. 125/85 or lower
B. 130/80 or lower
C. 150/95 or lower
D. 145/95 or lower

Answer 1

The target blood pressure for a client with diabetes mellitus is 130/80 or lower.

Step-by-step explanation:

The target blood pressure for a client with diabetes mellitus is 130/80 or lower (Option B).

According to the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines, normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg. However, for a client with diabetes mellitus, the target blood pressure is slightly lower. The goal is to keep the systolic blood pressure (the top number) below 130 and the diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) below 80.

In this case, the target blood pressure for the client with hypertension and diabetes mellitus would be 130/80 or lower (Option B).