High Blood Pressure

Your heart will beat 100,000 times today. That’s 100,000 times your high blood pressure could be damaging the tiny blood vessels leading to your eyes, heart, brain and kidneys.

When you have high blood pressure, or hypertension, the force of blood against your artery walls is too strong. High blood pressure can damage your arteries, heart, and kidneys, and lead to atherosclerosis and stroke. Hypertension is called a "silent killer'' because it does not cause symptoms unless it is severely high and, without your knowing it, causes major organ damage if not treated.

Your blood pressure measurement consists of two numbers: systolic and diastolic.

• The systolic measurement is the pressure of blood against your artery walls when the heart has just finished pumping (contracting). It is the first or top number of a blood pressure reading.
• The diastolic measurement is the pressure of blood against your artery walls between heartbeats, when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood. It is the second or bottom number in a blood pressure reading.

Level
Systolic Diastolic
High blood pressure is: 140 or above 90 or above
Prehypertension is: 120 to 139, 80 to 89
Normal adult (age 18 or older) blood pressure is: 119 or below 79 or below

Millions of people whose blood pressure was previously considered borderline high (130–139/85–89 mm Hg) or normal (120/80) now fall into the "prehypertension" range, based on new, more aggressive high blood pressure guidelines from the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee (JNC 7) on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

Because new studies show the risk of heart disease and stroke begins to increase earlier than previously believed, health experts lowered the acceptable normal range to promote more aggressive and earlier treatment of high blood pressure.

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Several factors are known to increase blood pressure, including obesity, heavy alcohol use, family history of high blood pressure, high salt intake, and aging. A sedentary lifestyle, stress, low potassium intake, low calcium intake, and resistance to insulin may also cause your blood pressure to rise.

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High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer”. Usually, you will not feel any warning signs or symptoms of high blood pressure, and you will not know you have it until a health professional takes a blood pressure reading. Hypertension develops slowly and can cause serious organ damage, usually without any symptoms.

Symptoms of severe high blood pressure:

• Frequent headache
• Dizziness
• Visual Disturbances
• Nausea and Vomiting

Although you may experience these symptoms, the truth is that most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms. That's why it's often called "the silent killer."

Over time, if you do not receive treatment for your high blood pressure, you may experience symptoms caused by damage to your heart, kidney, or eyes, including coronary artery disease, stroke, and kidney (renal) failure.

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You are never too young to be at risk for High Blood Pressure, it can happen to anyone. In fact, 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. But some people are more at risk for developing it than others. The groups listed below should be especially careful about monitoring and treating their blood pressure.

People with higher risk of having high blood pressure include:

• People with blood relatives who have high blood pressure, like a father, mother, or sibling
• Men over the age of 55
• Women over the age of 65
• Post-menopausal women
• African Americans especially women
• Some women who take birth control pills
• People who get little or no regular physical activity
• People who smoke
• People who drink more than three alcoholic beverages a day
• People who are overweight
• People with high cholesterol
• People with diabetes

If you fall into one or more of these groups you should partner with your doctor and make a plan to lower your blood pressure. You may not be able to control all the things that place you at risk for high blood pressure, but you can: Visit your doctor and discuss your high blood pressure. Your doctor can help you learn your blood pressure goal.

We have all heard stories of seemingly healthy people in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s or 60’s who have suddenly had a stroke or heart attack. The cause is sometimes related to high blood pressure that has been left undiagnosed or untreated. Why does this happen? Because High blood pressure is not a condition you feel as it damages the blood vessels that lead to your eyes, brain, heart and kidneys. It has no symptoms that warn you. Unless you and your doctor keep track of your blood readings, you may have no idea how high it may be.

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Most people find out they have high blood pressure during a routine doctor visit. To confirm that you have high blood pressure, your blood pressure must reach or exceed 140/90 mm Hg on three or more separate occasions. It is usually measured 1 to 2 weeks apart. Except in very severe cases, the diagnosis is not based on a single measurement

Your doctor may have you check your blood pressure at home 3 times a day and keep a record of the readings. Or you may need to wear an automated blood pressure cuff that periodically inflates and takes blood pressure measurements during the day. This is called ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

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If you fall into the prehypertension range (120–139/80–89 mm Hg), your doctor will likely recommend lifestyle modifications, including losing excess weight, exercising, limiting alcohol, cutting back on salt, quitting smoking, and following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. The DASH eating plan is a low-fat and low-saturated-fat diet that emphasizes eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods.

If you have high blood pressure (140–159/90–99 mm Hg) and you do not have any organ damage or other risk factors for heart disease (uncomplicated high blood pressure), your doctor will likely recommend lifestyle changes and possibly medications. Most people with high blood pressure will need two or more medications, including a thiazide-type diuretic, to lower their blood pressure to below 140/90 mm Hg, the goal for people with uncomplicated hypertension. If you have other conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease, your goal blood pressure is lower: 130/80 mm Hg.
If your blood pressure is 160–179/100–109 mm Hg or higher, you and your doctor may need to try various combinations of medications to find what works best for you. You will also need to make aggressive lifestyle changes.

Overall, your treatment will depend upon how high your blood pressure is, whether you have other medical conditions, such as diabetes, and whether any organs have already been damaged. Your risk of developing other diseases, especially heart disease, will be another important factor your doctor will consider.

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* Text Resources: The Mayo Clinic Staff