FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions):

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

High blood pressure has no symptoms and, because of this, is sometimes referred to as the “silent killer”.

If not diagnosed and treated, it can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure, among other problems.

What is considered a normal blood pressure?

A reading below 120/80 is considered normal.

Can high blood pressure be controlled by diet?

In some instances, a lifestyle change, including eating a healthy diet and exercise, can lower your blood pressure. If lifestyle changes alone don't work, your physician will prescribe medication.

What are the risk factors?

Risk factors include family history of high blood pressure, smoking, a diet high in saturated fat and sodium, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, lack of exercise, stress, and birth control use. In addition, people with diabetes are at higher risk, and your risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you get older.

Who gets high blood pressure?

It usually occurs in men between the ages of 35 and 50, and in women after menopause. It is also more common in people of African American heritage than in Caucasians.

What is meant by systolic and diastolic?

Systolic pressure is the top, or first, number in a blood pressure reading. This indicates the maximum pressure within the blood vessels. The pressure is at its highest when the heart contracts and circulates blood through the body.

The bottom, or second, number is the diastolic blood pressure, which indicates the lowest pressure in the vessels. The pressure is at its lowest when the heart is at rest between heartbeats.

What are the classifications of blood pressure?

Following are the most current blood pressure classifications released by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI):

Normal blood pressure: Lower than 120/80

Pre-hypertension: 120-139/80-89

Stage 1 hypertension: 140-159/90-99

Stage 2 hypertension: 160 or higher / 100 or higher

If the levels of systolic and diastolic readings fall into different categories, the higher category is used to classify the level, i.e., 149/79 would be classified as Stage 1.

These guidelines are for adults 18 years of age and older who are not on medication for high blood pressure, do not have a short-term serious illness, and do not have other diseases such as diabetes or kidney disease.

Are there different types of high blood pressure?

When the cause of high blood pressure is unknown, which occurs in almost all instances, it is called primary, or essential, hypertension.

In the instance when the cause is known, it is classified as secondary hypertension. Secondary hypertension can be caused by another medical condition such as narrowing of the arteries, an abnormality of the kidneys, or an abnormality of the aorta (the large blood vessel in the heart), which is present at birth.

What can be done to prevent developing high blood pressure?

Several things can be done including maintaining a healthy weight, reducing the amount of sodium in your diet, eating a well-balanced diet that is low in saturated fat, following an exercise program, limiting your amount of alcohol intake, and not smoking.

Can high blood pressure be cured?

It cannot be cured, however, it can be controlled, either lifestyle modification alone, or with the addition of medications.