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High blood pressure or hypertension is called the silent killer because it can cause damage to your heart and blood vessels even though you may not have any symptoms. One out of three adults in the United States has high blood pressure. Many people think of high blood pressure as an older persons disease, however an alarming increase has been observed among children secondary to inactivity and obesity.
High blood pressure can lead to kidney disease, heart attacks, strokes and heart failure (an enlargement of the heart muscle). Can this be prevented? Unfortunately family history, increased age and ethnicity (African Americans are at a much higher risk) are risk factors that cannot be controlled. Postmenopausal women also have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure. But the good news is there are numerous diet and lifestyle risk factors that are modifiable: being overweight, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, emotional stress and consuming a high salt diet. Sleep apnea is an often unrecognized contributing factor to high blood pressure, when the sleep apnea is treated the blood pressure often improves.
What do your blood pressure (BP) numbers mean?
Two numbers are obtained when you get your blood pressure (BP) checked. The first number is called the systolic BP and tells you how hard your heart muscle is working in order to pump the blood out of your heart and throughout your body. If the systolic BP is high it means your heart muscle is working too hard and can lead to an enlargement and weakening of the heart muscle which leads to heart failure. When the systolic BP is too high, your risk for stroke increases. The higher the systolic BP, the higher your risk for stroke. The second number is called the diastolic BP and tells you how relaxed or constricted your blood vessels are. If the diastolic BP is too high, blood is not able to circulate effectively. So both numbers are important to control.
What is a normal blood pressure?
Below are the current guidelines for both men and women.
Normal BP Less than 120/80
Pre-hypertension 120 to 139/80 to 89
Hypertension 140/90 or greater
Some people have "white coat hypertension" which means they have a transient increase in their blood pressure when they see someone in a white coat (healthcare provider). A single elevated blood pressure reading caused by the apprehension of going to the doctor's office usually does not require treatment. It is not uncommon to have fluctuations in your blood pressure with activity and emotional events but consistently high readings require treatment.
Can high blood pressure be cured?
Kidney disease, tumors of the adrenal glands, or coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta may lead to high blood pressure. Treating these disorders may eliminate the blood pressure problems. But the majority (95%) of people with high blood pressure have essential hypertension meaning the underlying cause cannot be determined. The most important
