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High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): the Silent Killer

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3/1/2015 Informational Booklet | David Grable | The Silent Killer | High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) |

The Silent Killer | High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) |

What Is High Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the measurement of force that blood applies against the walls of your arteries. Blood pressure tends to rise and fall regularly throughout the day, but if it remains high, you have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is also referred to as Hypertension.

Damage can occur to blood vessels, the heart, and the kidneys when blood pressure is high. This can lead to more serious conditions such as: heart attacks, strokes, and other problems. Hypertension is often considered “the silent killer” because there are typically no symptoms present while damage is occurring.
Your blood pressure consists of two numbers, systolic and diastolic, and is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Someone with a systolic pressure of 120 and a diastolic pressure of 80 has a blood pressure of 120/80, or “120 over 80” (U.S. PSTF, 2007).

Note: * The systolic number shows how hard the blood pushes when the heart is pumping. * The diastolic number shows how hard the blood pushes when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood (between heartbeats).
An ideal blood pressure for an adult is less than 120/80. Hypertension is 140/90 or higher. Many people fall somewhere in the middle, this is known as prehypertension. Individuals with prehypertension need to make lifestyle changes to bring their blood pressure down to prevent or delay hypertension.
Approximately 1 out of 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure (Go AS, 2014).
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
Generally, an exact cause cannot be pinpointed. But several factors are known to contribute to high blood pressure: being very overweight, drinking too much alcohol, a family history of

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