High Blood Pressure / Hypertension What is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls. The force is generated with each heartbeat as blood is pumped from the heart into the blood vessels. The size and elasticity of the artery walls also affect blood pressure. Each time the heart beats (contracts and relaxes), pressure is created inside the arteries. The pressure is greatest when blood is pumped out of the heart into the arteries or systole. When the heart r...

Why Screen for High Blood Pressure? The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found good evidence that blood pressure measurement can identify adults at increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to high blood pressure, and good evidence that treatment of high blood pressure substantially decreases the incidence of cardiovascular disease and causes few major harms. Source: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, July 2003

Online Resources - Blood Pressure American Heart Association National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute American Stroke Association CDC National Institute on Aging American Academy of Family Physicians National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Stopping Blood Pressure Drugs Risks a Stroke Medication to control high blood pressure only works if you take it. If you stop taking antihypertensive medication without discussing it with your doctor, you put yourself at risk for a stroke. High blood pressure is the most important preventable risk factor for stroke, according to the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA). The higher the blood pressure, the higher the risk for stroke and other health consequences. What...

All About Blood Pressure Medication Your doctor may prescribe antihypertension medication if your blood pressure is high. There are several kinds of medication commonly taken alone or in combination, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Types of medication Diuretics Thiazide diuretics are often the first medications your doctor will try to treat your high blood pressure. They help to lower blood pressure by eliminating excess fluid and salt that accumulate in the body. The excess fluid is ...

Hypertension: Children Can Have It, Too Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects almost one in three adults in the United States. But this serious health condition isn't limited to those ages 18 and older. The number of children and adolescents with high blood pressure is increasing after a long period of declining numbers. And that rise can be at least partly blamed on the increasing number of overweight and obese children. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and is the pr...

How to Manage Prehypertension Prehypertension is a new term that alerts people to the very real risk of developing chronic high blood pressure if they don't take timely steps to improve their lifestyle habits, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Prehypertension is defined as a blood pressure with the top (systolic) number between 120 and 139, or the bottom (diastolic) number between 80 and 89. Someone who ends up with full-blown high blood pressure may, in time, develop heart dis...

Managing Prehypertension Without Drugs Keeping your blood pressure below 120/ 80 mm Hg is important to good health. High blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or greater, and blood pressure between 120/ 80 and 139/89 is considered "prehypertension," meaning that you are more likely to develop high blood pressure. Both hypertension and prehypertension can increase your risk for stroke, coronary heart disease, and congestive heart failure, especially if they are uncontrolled, says the National Heart, Lung, and B...

High Blood Pressure Can Damage Kidneys Most people know that high blood pressure puts you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. But you might be surprised to learn that high blood pressure can also damage the kidneys. High blood pressure (140/90), also called hypertension, is the second leading cause of kidney disease in the United States, after diabetes. Neither high blood pressure nor kidney disease usually has symptoms. The best way to protect your kidneys is to have your blood pressure checke...

The Lowdown on High Blood Pressure High blood pressure is called "the silent killer" for a good reason: You can have it and not even know it. And you would not be alone. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), around 75 million Americans 20 years and older have high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), yet many people don't know they have it. If you have high blood pressure, you need to know, so you can control it. If you don't, you increase your risk for serious illness. High blood p...