 "...that the majority of women believe that breast cancer is a bigger health threat than heart disease? Actually, heart disease kills 6 times as many women each year as breast and lung cancers combined." 
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The Silent Killer
Did you know...
• It is estimated that as many as 50 million Americans have hypertension, or high blood pressure as it is more commonly called?
• More than 1/3 don’t even know that they have it, and
• Only about 21% are taking adequate steps to keep it under control!
Hypertension is often referred to as "the silent killer" because there are often no symptoms. If left untreated, high blood pressure can cause severe damage and result in such consequences as heart attack, stroke, kidney damage and loss of vision. Hypertension can be inherited or associated with various risk factors such as a high-cholesterol diet, obesity, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption and stress.
What is High Blood Pressure?
Hypertension is the medical term for what most people call High Blood Pressure. Blood pressure is the measure of the force of blood flowing against artery walls. A blood pressure reading involves two numbers, which are separated by a slash mark. The first corresponds to systolic pressure, which occurs when the heart is actively pumping. The second corresponds to diastolic pressure, or pressure on the arteries when the heart is at rest. It is this second number that doctors are generally most concerned about. Normal blood pressure is usually considered 120/80. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has published the following standards for assessment of high blood pressure:
Category
Systolic
Diastolic
Normal
<130
<85
High Normal
130-139
85-89
Hypertension
Stage 1 (Mild)
140-159
90-99
Stage 2 (Moderate)
160-179
100-109
Stage 3 (Severe)
180-209
110-119
Stage 4 (Very Severe)
>=210
>=120
It is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly by your doctor. High blood pressure can most often be controlled through medication, exercise, diet, or some combination of these actions.
Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
Significant cost savings and, most importantly, improved detection and treatment of hypertension can result when regular home blood pressure monitoring is conducted in consultation with a physician. High quality electronic digital home blood pressure and pulse monitors for convenient at-home and office use are now available through this web site. For a description of what's available, click here.
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