15 Facts About High Blood Pressure

Approximately one out of every three adults in the United States has high blood pressure.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a dangerous and life threatening condition that can damage your heart, kidneys, brain, eyes, liver and arteries.

High blood pressure is often referred to as the silent killer because you can have it for years and never know it, as there are usually no symptoms.

Narrowed blood vessels cause the heart to work harder and are usually associated with high blood pressure. The heart needs to pump the blood through the arteries exerting extra force against the walls of the arteries. When this happens, it is usually a sign that the heart and arteries are being damaged and overworked.

Heart damage can occur because the heart has to work harder, causing it to become thickened and enlarged. Heart attack, hypertensive heart disease, congestive heart failure, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and angina, can all result from high blood pressure.

The leading cause of illness and death in people with hypertension is hypertensive heart disease. This disease affects approximately 7 out of every 1,000 Americans.

Hypertension is a contributing factor for developing atherosclerosis, or thickening of the walls of the arteries.

Kidney failure, also called end stage renal disease, can occur when high blood pressure damages the blood vessels located in the kidney.

The test to measure your blood pressure is quick, easy and non invasive.

According to medical guidelines, most adults are considered to have normal blood pressure if their blood pressure reading is 120/80 or below. Blood pressure readings that are 120/80 to 139/89 are considered to be in the prehypertension range. Stage 1 hypertension occurs when the blood pressure readings are 140/90 to 159/99, and stage 2 hypertension occurs when the readings are 160/100 or above.

People that fall in the prehypertension range need to adopt  healthy lifestyle changes. Losing weight, reducing their intake of salt and adding vegetables and fruits to their eating plan will all have a positive effect on lowering their blood pressure. Generally medications are not prescribed for people that are prehypertentive.

For people that have stage 1 hypertension, positive life style changes are very important. They need to adopt the healthy eating plan of those that have prehypertension in order to lower their blood pressure as much as possible. Their medical practitioner will usually prescribe a blood pressure medication with a diuretic.
People that fall into the stage 2 hypertension range, need to make all the lifestyle changes that a prehypertentive person needs, as well as medication to gain control of their high blood pressure. Generally two blood pressure medications will be prescribed by their medical doctor.

If you suffer from an additional health problem, such as diabetes, angina, or kidney disease, your medications may be different and the higher your blood pressure level the more dangerous and life threatening your hypertension becomes.

You can be a person that is very calm and relaxed, but you can still have high blood pressure.  It is a misconception that high blood pressure only effects people that are hyperactive, nervous, stressed, or tense.