High Blood Pressure: The Silent Killer

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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. The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked. According to recent estimates, one in four 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. This is why high blood pressure is often called the "silent killer"

About High Blood Pressure

Everybody has — and needs — blood pressure. Without it, blood can't circulate through the body. And without circulating blood, vital organs can't get the oxygen and food that they need to work. So it's important to know about blood pressure and how to keep it within a healthy level. Normal blood pressure falls within a range; it's not one set of numbers.

When the heart beats, it pumps blood to the arteries and creates pressure in them. This pressure (blood pressure) results from two forces. The first force is created as blood pumps into the arteries and through the circulatory system. The second is created as the arteries resist the blood flow. If you're healthy, your arteries are muscular and elastic. They stretch when your heart pumps blood through them. How much they stretch depends on how much force the blood exerts.

Your heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute under normal conditions. Your blood pressure rises with each heartbeat and falls when your heart relaxes between beats. Your blood pressure can change from minute to minute, with changes in posture, exercise or sleeping, but it should normally be less than 120/80 mm Hg for an adult. Blood pressure that stays between 120-139/80-89 is considered prehypertension and above this level (140/90 mm Hg or higher) is considered high (hypertension). Your doctor may take several readings over time before deciding whether your blood pressure is high.

What do blood pressure numbers indicate?

The higher (systolic) number represents the pressure while the heart is beating. The lower (diastolic) number represents the pressure when the heart is resting between beats. The systolic pressure is always stated first and the diastolic pressure second. For example: 122/76 (122 over 76); systolic = 122, diastolic = 76. Blood pressure of less than 120 over 80 is considered a normal reading for adults. A systolic pressure of 130 to 139 or a diastolic pressure of 80 to 89 is considered prehypertension and needs to be watched carefully. A blood pressure reading equal to or greater than 140 (systolic) over 90 (diastolic) is considered elevated (high).

Are You at Risk for High Blood Pressure?

If you're an adult and your blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or above, you have hypertension and are at risk for heart disease, stroke and other medical problems. See a doctor and learn how to manage your blood pressure and how often to have it checked. High blood pressure has no symptoms, so if you haven't had it checked in a while, make an appointment now. One in four adult Americans has high blood pressure, and nearly one-third of them don't know they have it.

Factors that Contribute to High Blood Pressure

Medical science doesn't understand why most cases of high blood pressure occur, so it's hard to say how to prevent it. However, we do know of several factors that may contribute to high blood pressure and put you at increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Controllable risk factors:

• Obesity — People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher are more likely to develop high blood pressure
• Eating too much salt — A high sodium intake increases blood pressure in some people
• Drinking too much alcohol — Heavy and regular use of alcohol can increase blood pressure dramatically
• Lack of physical activity — An inactive lifestyle makes it easier to become overweight and increases the chance of high blood pressure
• Stress — This is often mentioned as a risk factor, but stress levels are hard to measure, and responses to stress vary from person to person

Uncontrollable risk factors:

• Race — African Americans develop high blood pressure more often than whites, and it tends to occur earlier and be more severe
• Heredity — If your parents or other close blood relatives have high blood pressure, you're more likely to develop it
• Age — In general, the older you get, the greater your chance of developing high blood pressure. It occurs most often in people over age 35. Men seem to develop it most often between age 35 and 55. Women are more likely to develop it after menopause

High Blood Pressure Statistics

• High blood pressure (hypertension) killed 46,765 Americans in 2001. It was listed as a primary or contributing cause of death in about 251,000 U.S. deaths in 2000
• As many as 50 million Americans age 6 and older have high blood pressure
• One in five Americans (and one in four adults) has high blood pressure
• Of those people with high blood pressure, 30 percent don't know they have it
• Of all people with high blood pressure, 11 percent aren't on therapy (special diet or drugs), 25 percent are on inadequate therapy, and 34 percent are on adequate therapy
• The cause of 90–95 percent of the cases of high blood pressure isn't known; however, high blood pressure is easily detected and usually controllable
• High blood pressure affects more than one out of every three African Americans

High Blood Pressure Increases Your Risk for Stroke

High blood pressure is the single most important risk factor for stroke. About 700,000 Americans will have a new or recurrent stroke this year — and over 163,500 of them will die. Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death among Americans. It’s also a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Many people mistakenly think of stroke as an "old person’s disease." But thousands of strokes occur in people under the age of 65

The good news is, you can protect against stroke. To do this:

• Know your risk factors
• Reduce your risk factors, including high blood pressure
• Learn the warning signs of stroke
• Know what to do if you notice warning signs

What is a stroke?

Stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease. It affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain can’t get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die. Clots that block an artery cause ischemic strokes. This is the most common type of stroke. Ischemic strokes account for about 88 percent of all strokes. Ruptured blood vessels cause hemorrhagic strokes. When part of the brain dies from lack of blood flow, the part of the body it controls is affected. Strokes can cause paralysis, affect language and vision, and cause other problems. What is a TIA?

A TIA (transient ischemic attack) is a "warning stroke." A TIA can occur days, weeks or months before a major stroke. TIAs are very strong predictors of stroke risk — they signal about 10 percent of strokes. Compared with people who haven’t had a TIA, people who’ve had a TIA are nine times more likely to have a stroke.

TIAs occur when a blood clot temporarily clogs an artery, and part of the brain doesn’t get the blood it needs. The warning signs are the same as for stroke. Like stroke, TIA symptoms occur rapidly, but they last a relatively short time. More than 75 percent of TIAs last less than five minutes. The average is about a minute. Unlike stroke, when a TIA ends, the blood clot resolves itself and the symptoms disappear, leaving no permanent effects.

You Can Reduce High Blood Pressure?

Steps for treating your high blood pressure:

• Lose weight if you’re overweight
• Eat a healthy diet low in saturated fat, cholesterol and salt
• Be more physically active
• Limit alcohol to no more than one drink per day for women or two drinks a day for men
• Know what your blood pressure should be and work to keep it at that level
• Find a form of treatment that fits and works with you

See our Blood Pressure supplements.