High Blood Pressure Effects On Life

High Blood Pressure

more than 65 million Americans suffering from the effects of high blood pressure (HBP), it is critical to understand the basics in order to be able to better control the disease. This is even more urgent, since recent research shows that young adults have HBP in increasing numbers.

The new study—which took blood pressure readings of more than 14,000 men and women between 24 and 32 years of age—revealed a higher percentage of high blood pressure readings than results from a previous major study, according to Steven Herschel, Associate Director for Clinical Research for the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriner National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHE). The previous study (THANES) reported high blood pressure in 4 percent of adults 20 to 39 years of age.

What Is High Blood Pressure?

Simply put, blood pressure is the force exerted by blood on the walls of the arteries and veins as it courses through the body. Like the ocean tide, it is normal for blood pressure to rise and fall throughout the day. Blood pressure is lowest when you are sleeping and rises when you awaken. But when the pressure stays elevated over time, it causes the heart to pump harder and work overtime, possibly leading to various, serious health problems, ranging from hardening of the arteries, stroke, and brain hemorrhage to kidney malfunction and blindness.

Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers, the systolic (pressure during a heartbeat) over the diastolic (pressure between heartbeats). For example, a measurement of 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) is expressed as “120 over 80.” Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80. People with pressures between 120/80 and 139/89 are considered to have pre-hypertension and are likely to develop high blood pressure without preventative measures.

Assessing Your Risk

While many Americans develop high blood pressure as they get older, it is not a hallmark of healthy aging. This is especially critical for African Americans, in whom the disease tends to begin at an earlier age and be more severe. In addition to being at increased risk, they also experience higher rates of death from stroke and kidney disease than does the general population.

Taking Control

High blood pressure is a silent killer, often with no obvious or visible symptoms. The only way to find out if you have hypertension is through testing by your physician, who will make the diagnosis on the basis of two or more readings taken on different visits.