Why is high blood pressure important?

High blood pressure is usually without symptoms, but over time high blood pressure will damage blood vessels and cause damage to organs, notably the heart, brain and kidneys. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, increases the chance of having strokes, heart attacks, and other problems. Your heart muscles contract (systole) and then relax (diastole). During the contraction, the blood pressure rises (systolic pressure) and when the heart relaxes the pressure falls to a lower level (diastolic pressure) before the next contraction. Normal systolic pressure is about 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). Normal diastolic blood pressure is around 80 mm Hg. A standard way of writing blood pressure would describe this as 120/80. A blood pressure of 140/90 or more is regarded as high blood pressure.

It is important to have the blood pressure checked periodically to avoid walking around with undiagnosed high blood pressure. Hypertension can be treated by lifestyle changes and medications. The lifestyle changes include giving up smoking, decreasing alcohol intake, stress management, increasing physical activity and adjustments in diet. A diet that is rich in vegetables, low in salt, and includes daily fruit is beneficial. The DASH diet has been shown to be helpful in lowering blood pressure. Changing habits is difficult (See Dr. Prochaska's book, using the Amazon.com link for an approach). Click here for information on giving up smoking. Click here to find information about blood pressure medications. More information on hypertension can be found here.