What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure (also referred to as HBP, or hypertension) is when your blood pressure, the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels, is consistently too high. Learn more about high blood pressure.
High blood pressure increases your risk for dangerous health conditions:
- First heart attack: About 7 of every 10 people having their first heart attack have high blood pressure.
- First stroke: About 8 of every 10 people having their first stroke have high blood pressure.
- Chronic (long lasting) heart failure: About 7 of every 10 people with chronic heart failure have high blood pressure.
- Kidney disease is also a major risk factor for high blood pressure.
Although you cannot control all of your risk factors for high blood pressure, you can take steps to prevent or control high blood pressure and its complications.
If you have high blood pressure, you are not alone
- Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure. (Many don’t even know they have it.)
- The best way to know if you have high blood pressure it is to have your blood pressure checked.
Know your numbers
Learn about your blood pressure numbers and what they mean.
High blood pressure is a “silent killer”
- Certain physical traits and lifestyle choices can put you at a greater risk for high blood pressure.
- Most of the time there are no obvious symptoms.
- When left untreated, the damage that high blood pressure does to your circulatory system is a significant contributing factor to heart attack, stroke and other health threats.
Preventing and managing HBP
- This is one time that the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is particularly apt. 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.
Quick Links: