What is high blood pressure?
- High blood pressure (also referred to as hypertension) is when your blood pressure, the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels, is consistently too high.
- Approximately 1 in 3 adults in the United States have high blood pressure. Only half (54%) of this population have their high blood pressure under control.
- The best way to know if you have high blood pressure it is to have your blood pressure checked.
What numbers to look for?
The table below helps you understand the numbers and what is considered normal.
Note: A diagnosis of high blood pressure must be confirmed with a medical professional. A doctor should also evaluate any unusually low blood pressure readings.
High blood pressure is a silent killer
- Most of the time there are no obvious symptoms.
- Certain physical traits and lifestyle choices can put you at a greater risk for high blood pressure. Family history, unhealthy diet, and lack of physical activity are a few examples of risk factors.
- Untreated and uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage the blood vessels of the organs, including eyes, kidneys, heart, and brain and can cause blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke, respectively.
- Look out for the below sign and call for help immediately.
Know the signs: Remember B.E.F.A.S.T.
B: Balance – Loss of balance, headache or dizziness
E: Eyes – Blurred vision
F: Face – One side of the face is drooping
A: Arms – Arm or leg weakness
S: Speech – Speech difficulty
T: Terrible Headache - Severe headache
T: Time – Time to call 911 immediately
Preventing and managing hypertension
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- It’s best to avoid high blood pressure altogether. Healthy lifestyle choices are a great place to start.
- With proper treatment and management, you can control your blood pressure to help you live a long and healthy life.
- Cut down on salt and sodium to prevent and lower high blood pressure.
- A normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg.
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