If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about your blood pressure levels and how these levels affect your treatment plan.
What are the signs and symptoms of high blood pressure?
High blood pressure usually has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people don't know they have it.Measure your blood pressureis the only way to know if you have high blood pressure.
What causes high blood pressure?
High blood pressure usually develops over time. It can happen as a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as not getting enough regular exercise.Certain health problems, such as diabetes and obesity, can also increase the risk of developing high blood pressure.High blood pressure can also occur during pregnancy.
You can control your blood pressure to lower your risk of serious health problems that can affect your heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes.
View larger
Download image[JPG]
What problems does high blood pressure cause?
High blood pressure can harm your health in many ways. It can seriously damage important organs such as your heart, brain, kidneys and eyes.
The good news is that in most cases you can control your blood pressure to reduce your risk of serious health problems.
Heart attacks and heart disease
High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, which reduces blood and oxygen flow to your heart and can lead to cardiovascular diseaseheart disease. In addition, reduced blood flow to the heart can lead to:
- Chest pain, also called angina pectoris.
- Heart attackThis happens when the blood supply to your heart is blocked and the heart muscle begins to die without enough oxygen. The longer blood flow is blocked, the greater the damage to the heart.
- Heart failurea condition that means your heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to your other organs.
Strokes and brain problems
High blood pressure can cause the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain to burst or become clogged, causing aslak. Brain cells die during a stroke because they don't get enough oxygen. Strokes can cause severe limitations in speech, movement and other basic activities. A stroke can also result in death.
Having high blood pressure, especially in middle age, is associated with poorer cognitive function and dementia later in life. Read more about the link between high blood pressure and dementia from the National Institutes of HealthBeware of your risks®campaign.
Kidney disease
Adults with diabetes, high blood pressure, or both have a higher risk of developing itchronic kidney diseasethan those without these conditions.
Read more about conditions associated with high blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure during pregnancy
- High blood pressure in children and teenagers
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Snails
How do I know if I have high blood pressure?
There is only one way to know if you have high blood pressure: have it measured by a doctor or other healthcare provider.Measure your blood pressureis quick and painless.
Talk to your healthcare provider about measuring your blood pressure regularly at home, also called self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP).
High blood pressure has been called "the silent killer" because it usually has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people don't know they have it.
What can I do to prevent or control high blood pressure?
Many people with high blood pressure can lower their blood pressure within a healthy range or keep their blood pressure within a healthy range by doing solifestyle changes. Talk to your care team about this
- Get at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week (about 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week)
- Do not smoke
- Eat a healthy diet, including limiting sodium (salt) and alcohol
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Dealing with stress
Learn more about ways tocontrolInpreventhigh bloodpressure.
In addition to making positive lifestyle changes, some people with high blood pressure need thistake medicineto control their blood pressure.
Contact your doctor immediately if you think you have high blood pressure, or if you have been told that you have high blood pressure but it is not controlled.
By taking steps to lower your blood pressure, you can help protect yourself against heart disease and stroke, also called cardiovascular disease (CVD).
