Overview

According to recent estimates, about one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don't know they have it. In fact, many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. This is why high blood pressure is often called the "silent killer." The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked.

What Is High Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure.
Blood pressure is a measure of the force that the blood applies to the walls of the arteries as it flows through them. It's normal for blood pressure to increase when you exert yourself, or when you feel stressed or anxious. But if your blood pressure is consistently higher than the healthy level when at rest, this is high blood pressure (hypertension).
High blood pressure can occur in children or adults, but it's more common among people over age 35. It's particularly prevalent in African Americans, middle-aged and elderly people, obese people, heavy drinkers and women taking birth control pills. It may run in families, but many people with a strong family history of high blood pressure never have it. People with diabetes mellitus, gout or kidney disease are more likely to have high blood pressure, too.





The key complications of high blood pressure include heart disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, peripheral artery disease, and aortic aneurysms (outpouchings of the aorta).

Blood pressure is measured with a blood pressure cuff and recorded as two numbers, such as 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury).

• The top, larger number is called the systolic pressure. This is the pressure generated when the heart contracts (pumps). It reflects the pressure of the blood against arterial walls.

• The bottom, smaller number is called the diastolic pressure. This reflects the pressure in the arteries while the heart is filling and resting between heartbeats.
  

Scientists have determined a normal range for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after examining the blood pressure of many people.

• Those whose blood pressure is consistently higher than this norm are said to have high blood pressure or hypertension.

• High blood pressure in adults is defined as a consistently elevated blood pressure of 140 mm Hg systolic and 90 mm Hg diastolic or higher.

As many as 60 million Americans have high blood pressure.

• That's about one in four adults aged 18 years and older.

•  Uncontrolled high blood pressure is indirectly responsible for many deaths and disability resulting from heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

• According to research studies, the risk of dying of a heart attack is directly linked to blood pressure, especially systolic hypertension. The higher your blood pressure, the higher your risk, even with blood pressure in the normal range.

• However, the progress of heart disease caused by high blood pressure can be slowed down.

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