High Blood Pressure : Articles

Hypertension is the term used to describe high blood pressure. Blood pressure readings are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and usually given as two numbers. For example, 120 over 80 (written as 120/80 mmHg. The top number is your systolic pressure, the pressure created when your heart beats. It is considered high if it is consistently over 140; The bottom number is your diastolic pressure, the pressure inside blood vessels when the heart is at rest. It is considered high if it is consistently over 90. Either or both of these numbers may be too high. Pre-hypertension is when your systolic blood pressure is between 120 and 139 or your diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 89 on multiple readings. If you have pre-hypertension, you are more likely to develop high blood pressure. See also: Blood pressure

Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against the artery walls as it travels through the body. Like air in a balloon, blood fills arteries to a certain capacity—and just as too much air pressure can cause damage to a balloon, too much blood pressure can harm healthy arteries. Blood pressure is measured by two numbers—systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure measures cardiac output and refers to the pressure in the arterial system at its highest. Diastolic pressure measures peripheral resistance and refers to arterial pressure at its lowest. Blood pressure is normally measured at the brachial artery with a sphygmomanometer (pressure cuff) in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and given as systolic over diastolic pressure. A blood pressure reading thus appears as two numbers. The upper number is the systolic pressure, which is the peak force of blood as the heart pumps it. The lower number is the diastolic pressure, which is the pressure when the heart is filling or relaxing before the next beat. Normal blood pressure for an adult is 120/70 (on average), but normal for an individual varies with the height, weight, fitness level, age, and health of a person.

Also known as high blood pressure, a condition in which too much force is exerted by the blood as it travels through the body's arteries. There are two types of hypertension: primary and secondary. Primary, or essential, hypertension is caused by external factors; secondary hypertension is related to an underlying disorder, such as a congenital heart defect or kidney disease. Factors that increase the risk of high blood pressure include age (the likelihood of hypertension increases with age), race (hypertension is two to three times more common in blacks than in whites), heredity, and being overweight. About 60 million Americans have high blood pressure. Of this number roughly 2.7 million are children between the ages of six and 17. Secondary hypertension occurs in only about 10% of the diagnoses—in the majority of cases the condition has no known cause. However, serious hypertension in infants and young children is usually of the secondary variety. Secondary hypertension also occurs (although less frequently) in adolescents, in whom it can signal a hormonal imbalance, kidney disorder, or other condition. In contrast, primary hypertension is not unusual among adolescents and is also found, though infrequently, in children. Of the two types, secondary hypertension is easier to detect because the symptoms of the underlying condition alert the child and parents that something is wrong. Primary hypertension usually produces no symptoms, a fact that makes it important for children to have their blood pressure tested regularly starting at the age of three. Children and adolescents with high blood pressure have an increased risk of developing hypertension in adulthood. Blood pressure in children is measured the same way as in adults—with the familiar inflatable cuff and meter known as a sphygmomanometer (although a special smaller cuff is used for children). Two figures are used to describe blood pressure. The top figure—known as systolic blood pressure—refers to the level of pressure when the heart contracts to circulate the blood. The lower number—called the diastolic pressure—is based on the reading when the heart is resting. The total pressure is the systolic over the diastolic pressure, expressed in millimeters of mercury (a typical blood pressure reading might be 120 over 80). High blood pressure in adults is defined as a reading higher than 140 over 90. The blood pressure of children is lower than of adults and steadily increases as the child grows older. For example, a normal reading for a three-year-old would be 98 over 64. High blood pressure is diagnosed in children if the average of three readings is higher than that for 90% of children in the same age group. Aside from age, size itself is a factor—larger children have higher blood pressure than smaller ones, whatever their age (a fact taken in account when their blood pressure is assessed). Children should not have their blood pressure taken when they are nervous or agitated. Adolescents should be careful not to ingest any stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, in the hours preceding a blood pressure reading. When a child is found to have elevated blood pressure, blood and urine tests and kidney χ rays are commonly taken to rule out any underlying disorder. If the diagnosis is primary hypertension, common treatment measures include a program of increased exercise and dietary modifications to cut down on sodium, especially salt, which is abundant in many foods favored by young people, such as french fries, pizza, potato chips, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Some substitution of healthy snacks such as fruit can help reduce the amount of salt in the diet. If the child is overweight, dietary changes may focus on weight loss. Even a modest reduction in weight can help reduce blood pressure. If other measures do not sufficiently alleviate the hypertension, a medication may be prescribed, usually a diuretic which cuts down

Each day that your blood pressure is too high, your chances of having a stroke are increased.

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the body's tissues.

The National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) was established in 1972 by the National Institute of Health to translate research results on the health hazards of high blood pressure into clinical and public health practice. Before 1900, high blood pressure, or hypertension, was not generally recognized as a health problem. Only when a practical method of clinical blood pressure measurement emerged in the early 1900s were associations made between hypertension and subsequent morbidity and mortality. Those associations were confirmed by actuarial statistics, correlating blood pressure levels of life insurance policy holders with subsequent death rates. The associations were also confirmed by observation studies such as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, which routinely collected information regarding the health status of an entire community. These data showed that as blood pressure rose, deaths from stroke, heart disease, and all causes began to increase. The higher the blood pressure, the greater the chance of dying from a heart attack or stroke. The first controlled clinical trial to test the efficacy of blood-pressure–lowering drugs was designed to occur during a five-year period. The results were so successful that the study was stopped at eighteen months. Those receiving blood-pressure–lowering drugs had fewer cardiovascular events than those taking a placebo. Lowering blood pressure saved lives. The goal of the NHBPEP is to reduce death and disability through programs of professional, patient, and public education. The aim is to raise public awareness about hypertension, to urge hypertensive patients to follow their doctor's advice, and to have clinicians use the available scientific information. The strategies include developing and disseminating educational materials and programs that are grounded in a strong science base and developing partnerships among the program participants. Throughout its history, the NHBPEP has worked to mobilize and coordinate the resources of organizations. The NHBPEP is a network of federal agencies, voluntary and professional organizations, all state health departments, and numerous community-based programs. At the hub of the program is the NHBPEP Coordinating committee, composed of representatives from thirty-eight national professional, public, and voluntary health organizations and seven federal agencies. The program follows a consensus-building process to identify major issues of concern among the participants and to develop program activities. Representatives from the member organizations work together to provide guidance to the program and each other, as well as to develop and promote activities to their own constituencies. This multidisciplinary committee also defines national priorities, examines critical issues, explores future opportunities, sponsors national activities, and promotes collaboration among the program partners. The Coordinating Committee agencies encompass a wide distribution network, supporting a mass media campaign and distribution of educational materials and documents. Among their publications are posters, public service announcements, patient education brochures, and clinical guidelines. Additional activities include designing public health interventions to address the excessive stroke mortality in the Southeast United States; publishing reports describing best treatment practices to control hypertension; conducting demonstration projects at the work site and in urban and rural settings; developing reports and intervention programs regarding hypertension among special populations or situations (e.g., African Americans, hypertensive patients with renal disease or diabetes, children and older Americans); and promoting population strategies for the primary prevention of hypertension. The effectiveness of the NHBPEP can be measured in several ways. In 1972, the year the program began, less than one-fourth o

High blood pressure (hypertension) is called the silent killer. This is because many people who have it don’t know it. You can take an easy test to see if your blood pressure is too high. If it is high, you can take steps to lower it. Doing so could save your life.

Risk factors are things that make you more likely to have a disease or condition. Do you know your risk factors for high blood pressure?

Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the body's tissues.

Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the body's tissues.

Hypertension is high blood pressure . Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.