If you haven't been paying attention to your blood pressure, you may have good reason to become concerned.
Even if you think you're safe just because your blood pressure is "normal," your health may be at more risk than you suspect.
And if your high blood pressure isn't under good control even though your doctor has given you medications for it, you may need to take a more active role in treating the problem.
In short, new research shows that high blood pressure - also called hypertension - is a major problem in America, but many of us aren't aware of the threat or aren't taking it seriously.
Many Americans Are Under Too Much Pressure
Hypertension was actually becoming less common in America just a few decades ago. In 1960, roughly 30 percent of American adults had high blood pressure. By the late 1980s, that number had dropped to about 20 percent. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the trend is reversing.
Nowadays, about 29 percent of American adults are affected by the problem, and almost as many have pre-hypertension, or blood pressure that's more elevated than normal, but which doesn't warrant a diagnosis of hypertension. But as you'll see, it's also a cause for concern.
Some people are more likely to develop hypertension. It's more common in women than men, and it's more common in blacks than other racial groups. In fact, African-Americans have one of the highest rates of hypertension in the entire world: It affects 41 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in America.
Your blood pressure is measured as two numbers, which describe the pressure when your heart beats and when it relaxes between beats. Hypertension is defined as having blood pressure of 140/90 or higher. Prehypertension is 120/80 to 139/89. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80.
Those numbers may be easy enough to remember, but many people have no idea that they're at risk.
Know Your Risk and Take Action
Roughly 30 percent of whites, 27 percent of blacks, and 41 percent of Mexican-Americans who have high blood pressure aren't aware that they have the problem. In general, high blood pressure doesn't cause symptoms - but it can lead to a lot of damage while you remain unaware of it.
High blood pressure can set the stage for heart attacks and heart failure. It's the main risk factor that contributes to stroke. It can cause blindness and kidney failure, too. As your blood pressure rises, your risk of health consequences rises steadily along with it - even if your blood pressure is still within the normal range.
Unfortunately, even when people seek help from their doctor, they may not be out of the woods. Research has found that half of patients with hypertension stopped using their blood-pressure medications within a year, and on any given day, patients missed up to 10 percent of their scheduled doses.
If your doctor recommends medications, you may find it easier to stick with them if you know that most people require more than one drug to treat hypertension. Very few patients who need medications for their blood pressure will reach their goal by taking just one drug.
In addition, you can take many other steps on your own to reduce your blood pressure, aside from medications.
You may have heard that reducing salt and sodium in your diet can help lower your blood pressure. If your doctor recommends this strategy, you can quickly go a long way toward reaching your goal just by cutting processed foods out of your diet and eating more fruits and vegetables. Again, if your doctor suggests that you cut down on salt, you shouldn't feel like you're the only one needing to make changes: According to the CDC, about 70 percent of American adults would benefit from lowering their sodium intake to no more than 1,500 milligrams daily.
While you're making these changes to lower your blood pressure, other helpful steps include:
- Getting plenty of aerobic physical activity, like walking and bicycling
- Limiting alcohol use to fewer than two drinks daily
- Avoiding smoking
- Eating foods high in calcium, such as low-fat dairy products
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