High blood pressure (or "hypertension" or HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure or other health problems. "Blood pressure" is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood through the body. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage your body in many ways.

About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure. High blood pressure itself usually has NO symptoms - you can have it for years without even knowing it. During this time, though, it may be slowly damaging your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body.

Overview

Knowing your blood pressure numbers is very important, even when you're feeling fine. If your blood pressure is normal, there are many ways that you can work to maintain that healthy level - usually the old "diet and exercise". If your blood pressure is too high, you need to treat it to prevent permanent damage to your body. 

Blood Pressure Numbers

Blood pressure is measured by two numbers, systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-a-STOL-ik). Systolic is the pressure when the heart beats (pumping blood). Diastolic is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. Blood pressure numbers are written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic, such as 120/80. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, which comes from the days when your doctor used a cuff around your arm and pumped a bulb until mercury appeared in a thermometer-like device.

The table below shows the numbers or readings for most adults aged 18 and older. Blood pressure tends to goes up and down, even in people who have normal blood pressure. If your numbers stay above normal most of the time, you're at risk.

Reading the Table

In the table above, your systolic and diastolic numbers may not fall in the same blood pressure category. In this case, to determine what category you are in, use the more severe category. For example, if your systolic number is consistently 160 and your diastolic number is 80, you have stage 2 HBP. If your systolic number is consistently 120 and your diastolic number is 95, you have stage 1 HBP. "Pre-hypertension" means you're likely to end up with high blood pressure unless you take steps to prevent it. High blood pressure numbers also differ for children, teens, and people with diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

If you're being treated for high blood pressure and your blood pressure readings are in the normal range, it only means your blood pressure is under control - a good thing! But ... you still have high blood pressure. You should continue treatment and see your doctor if the readings get out of control.

Outlook

Blood pressure tends to rise with age. Following a healthy lifestyle helps some people delay or prevent this rise in blood pressure. People who have high blood pressure can take steps to control it and reduce their risks for health problems. Key steps include following a healthy lifestyle (including diet, exercise, no smoking), having regular check-ups from your doctor, and following the treatment plan that your doctor prescribes, which may include prescription medication.

Testing / Screening

There is a very simple test that can be performed to assist with the diagnosis of high blood pressure. This test, which can be performed at your doctor's office, at most retail pharmacies or even at home, includes:

• Blood Pressure Reading - During this simple test, YOU can attach any one of many meter types - technically a sphygmomanometer (SFIG'-mo-mah-NO'-mee-ter) - to your arm, finger, or other body part to get an accurate reading. Each machine will measure your systolic and diastolic readings as well as the number of heartbeats per minute.

If you want additional information, an excellent resource is the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute. Please visit that website from which the information above has been extracted:

Click here to take a free test about high blood pressure!